Welcome Wizards to Sunnydale
by Beware the Noble Heart
Summary: Please read!HPBTVS xover(3rd season btvs). Snape has been discovered a spy and Hermione is marked for death. They must flee. Where is it Dumbledore sends them? What is it they're expected to do? Can they fit in at a semi-magicless hellmouth school?
1. A New Wardrobe for Snape

This story is set in 3rd season of Buffy and October after Hermione has graduated. (You graduate at 17 so Hermione is going as a senior and will be Snape's assistant for the afternoon classes, and take the morning classes like any other student)

This is a warning, I do want Snape to be with someone by the end of this fic and it may very well be Hermione, unless when I ask you to vote for pairings, you vote for someone else.

Please just give it a try. I love writing and I just want people to give me a chance. PLEASE!

"Well, Severus… I don't know what else to tell you. You have to leave England for now at least. We can find somewhere remote for you to stay, but you can't be tied to the wizarding community. It's too risky," Albus Dumbledore spoke to the dark man across the table from him, where they sat in the dining room of Black Manor.

"What am I to do with all this time?" Severus Snape demanded.

"I was thinking you could teach… English possibly?" Albus' face showed a large grin.

"Muggles? You want me to teach muggle children?" Snape asked, in disbelief.

"Teenagers, actually," Albus agreed.

"You're out of your bloody mind, you old coot!" Snape snapped.

"Come now Severus, what else did you have in mind?" Albus replied, a slight edge in his voice that told Snape not to argue.

"Well then, since it's obviously been decided for me, how do you propose I pass as a muggle?" Snape scowled, deeply.

"Miss Granger shall join you. You have heard of her being marked I'm sure," Albus said.

"It's my bloody fault," Snape muttered.

"How were you to be prepared by Voldemort and Lucius attacking your mind at the same time?" Albus sighed. "If none of this had happened, then we wouldn't have a problem, but as you have been discovered and her intelligence been uncovered by the Dark Lord, she cannot stay here. I believe if she went with you, she would be safe."

"And why would you believe this?" Snape demanded.

"Because you blame yourself for putting her in danger, and would do anything to protect her," Albus said, brightly.

"You do know that they can just trace me with my mark?" Snape pointed out.

"Not where I'm sending you, Severus. Not in Sunnydale, California, USA," Albus grinned, slyly.

"The hell mouth? You're sending me with Miss Granger to the hell mouth?" Snape's scowl deepened.

"It's the perfect cover. No one will know where you are, because the hell mouth covers people's auras under a sort of net of dark energy," Albus said.

"You've lost you mind, old man," Snape muttered.

"Maybe, but you will need a make-over if you're not going to stick out like a sore thumb and Miss Granger is going to help you with that, and then go to Sunnydale as your assistant," Albus said, with finality.

"I will go through with this insane idea for Miss Granger's safety, but I will… repay you sometime, Albus," Snape said, darkly. Albus just nodded smiling.

"Miss Granger, how is it you are going to pass Severus as a muggle?" Albus asked, looking up from his plate at the tense girl, pushing vegetables around on her plate, not concentrating.

"I, well I will have to probably get him new clothes, unless he owns a full wardrobe of muggle clothes, that is," Hermione said, softly, looking at the scowling man, who was glaring at his meat loaf as if it had personally offended him. He shook his head, signaling that he did not have all muggle clothes.

"I'm sure Madame Malkin would be able to help perform this task," Hermione said, quietly.

"Marvelous and… anything else?" Albus asked.

"Sir, you can't act so bitter and mean to muggle students. They aren't going to be used to your reputation and will not respond to is. They will most likely impale you on a sharp knife before the first day is over.

"I cannot change my personality in a night, Miss Granger. You know it all… I'm sure you understand," Snape muttered.

"I just want you to alter yourself during your classes with your muggle students. I could care less if you treat me like a bastard. You have for seven years and I'm used to it by now," Hermione snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You WILL NOT speak to me in that fashion Miss Granger," Snape growled at her.

"Oh, shove it up your ass Snape," Ron muttered. Snape stood, towering over the boy to his left. The boy stood up fully and was taller than Snape, having grown so tall and lanky after time, standing a full 6'6" (2m) while the professor brushed more about 6'2" (1.8m).

"Ronald, sit down. If you didn't realize, you're making an idiot of yourself," Hermione sighed, deeply. "Sir, I have dealt with much from you in seven years, but if you haven't realized, I have been put into the same position as you and you arguing with me is doing nothing but give me a headache," Hermione stated, rubbing her temple lightly.

"Yes, Severus, do sit down and finish this marvelous dinner," Arthur Weasley said, brightly.

Snape dropped into his chair after Ron had already done so.

"Well, the two of you will leave tomorrow. You must make all the preparations this evening, Miss Granger. I have the transportation down for you. I just need to be sure that Severus is as much a muggle as any teacher before the evening is out," Albus said.

"Sir, it's 7:00 at night. Madame Malkins closes in an hour!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You'd better get moving then. Charge it to my account, will you?" Albus said.

"Damn it," Hermione grumbled, standing, and stalking out of the room, not touching her food. She went directly to the living room and floo network. Snape came in just as she was throwing in the floo. "Coming?" she inquired, before stepping in and calling, "MADAME MALKINS!"

She stepped out of the fireplace and nearly fell over but a young man steadied her. She started to thank him, until she saw it was Draco Malfoy. Her stare turned into a dark and mean glare.

"Granger, fancy running into you," Draco said, his hand clamping onto her arm. Hermione struggled for all she was worth, but it was of no use. She shivered in terror, as he stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "We've been looking for you."

"Let her go, Draco," Snape snapped, as he stepped out of the fire, his wand pointed at Draco's face. Draco sneered at Snape, but released Hermione, backing away, hands up. He disappeared out the door, seconds later.

"Th-thank you, sir," Hermione said. She was shaking. He frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her directly in the eye.

"What's wrong with you? He didn't do anything, really," Snape sneered.

"This time," Hermione spat at him, angrily. "Don't touch me you mean git," she snapped, pushing his hand off her shoulder.

He scowled but said nothing in response. Hermione looked at him, ponderingly for a moment then smirked, muttering something under her breath.

"Hello deary!" Madame Malkin said, cheerfully, as she spotted Hermione.

"Madame Malkin, hello," Hermione greeted. "I have a request to ask. I know it isn't your usual to make muggle clothes, but the professor here is in urgent need of the finest seamstress in Britain to work her magic," Hermione said, her voice dripping with honey sweetness.

"Oh, dear, I don't know about all that, but of course," Madame Malkin looked up at Snape, who sneered down at her condescendingly.

"Knock it off," Hermione hit his arm, lightly. He glared at her, violently, but sighed at her resolute expression and his sneer faded into a neutral expression.

"Now, there, you have lovely features," Madame Malkin said, smiling. Snape looked at her in shock. He glanced in the mirror to his right. His hair was silky and clean and pulled back at the nape of his neck in a tidy pony-tail and the faint lines of worry and fatigue had all but faded.

He looked sharply at Hermione, who shrugged. "Even I didn't know you cleaned up that well professor. You are quite handsome," she said, not looking at him.

"You performed wandless magic on me?" Snape asked.

"Just a simply refreshening charm, it looks like. Any wizard can perform it with or without wand," Madame Malkin smiled, broadly. "Now, off with the extra layers. At the heart of every wizard's robes is a muggle outfit," she said. Snape let out a growl, but he drew off his robes then unbuttoned his frock coat. Even though his fingers moved quickly unbuttoning each with skill, it took a long time by Hermione's standards, and she took to glaring at him, until he had been stripped down to his black trousers and black silk button-down.

"My, who knew that the mean bat of the dungeons could look so good," came a laughing voice from the counter. It was true. He had a lean muscular chest which was visible through the silk shirt, and he stood tall and intimidating. He was quite striking after being stripped down to muggle clothes, uncovered from his smothering robes.

"Ginny, dear! I was just about to go to dinner. You can handle these customers, right? I beg your pardon. I wouldn't go if I didn't need to meet someone, but I assure you my assistant is the best," Madame Malkin smiled, sweeping out of the store.

"Hermione, I thought Dumbledore would give you a few days before you had to tackle your endeavor of making Snape pass as a muggle," Ginny's girly giggle floated to them. Hermione smiled, brightly and met Ginny as she came around the counter, embracing her.

"It has to be done before we go to bed," Hermione sighed, tiredly.

"Ah, don't worry. I'm trained. It won't take too long. So what are we looking for?" Ginny asked. "What is it that muggle teachers wear?"

"Basically what he's wearing, though more outfits will be needed. I can alter most of his outfits, so a few more shirts and pairs of slacks," Hermione said.

"I like the silk thing he has going, and I think he's found out how black brings out the best in him," Ginny smiled.

"I hardly thought of that one, Miss Weasley. Can we get this over with?" Snape snapped. Ginny sighed and waved her wand at him. A measuring tape began to measure every part of him. Ginny waved her hand and a black sweater appeared a white cotton button-down beside it. Snape looked at the white shirt with disdain.

"Don't worry sir, you wear the sweater over it," Ginny laughed at his angry scrutinizing of the shirt.

"That may be acceptable," Snape said, slowly. Ginny waved her wand at him. The white shirt replaced his black silk one and with another wave of her wand, the black sweater was over it.

"Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione frowned and took a step up to Snape, who took a slow step back. She ignored it and slipped her hands under the collar of the sweater. She pulled the collar of the white shirt over the sweater, then took his hand and did the same with the cuffs of his shirt.

"Good," Hermione said, but something was wrong. "Can you make it green?" Hermione asked, Ginny, who nodded waving her wand, easily changing the color of the sweater.

"Great," Hermione commended, stepping back and examining the shirt.

"Aren't you going to ask my opinion?" Snape growled.

"No," Hermione stated.

"You always have that high neck don't you?" Ginny asked Snape.

"Yes, and I feel quite awkward without it," Snape stated.

"Perfect, 'Mione. We can merge his ideas for fashion with muggle!" Ginny squealed with delight. "TURTLE-NECK!"

"But, wait, he always has his robes flapping about behind him," Ginny's pleasure faded. "We'd have to have a duster most likely to get that effect of his wardrobe back. I'm almost certain that dusters and turtlenecks don't go together," Ginny was downtrodden.

"Then he'll just have to decide each day which comfort from old Hogwarts he wants," Hermione stated.

They went on discussing what Snape should wear and magicking those things onto him, for almost two hours before they finally settled with a suitable wardrobe. Ginny who was meant to close up that night hadn't even bothered with the closing time. She kept working until they were done, about an hour after closing. They let Snape go back in his own muggle clothes, after Ginny tore off the top two buttons, grinning at him, as if to tell him that's how it would stay. With a tearful goodbye to Ginny, who had been her best friend the last two years she was at Hogwarts, Hermione went back with Snape, who glared at her. She simply ignored him. When they appeared back at Black Manor, everyone was sitting around in the living room, sipping on a late-evening tea (about 9 PM by now).

"S-Severus. You look astonishing my boy," Albus said, genuinely surprised. "You did a marvelous job, Miss Granger."

"I didn't do anything but a simply refreshing charm sir. Those clothes are what he hides under all these," Hermione said, quietly, holding up the robes. The other clothes were shrunken and in Snape's pockets. He snatched his robes from her, quickly.

"I mean, if Remus and I weren't… I mean… I…" Tonks seemed to lose her words as she looked at Snape; his muscular chest was showing a bit as the top two buttons were gone, his face clear of the fatigue that had haunted him nearly twenty years, and his hair soft and silky-looking all greasiness gone.

"I wouldn't take the offer Nymphadora," Snape said, scathingly, stalking out of the room.

Tonks regained her composure and shouted after him, "It wasn't an offer!"

"He is marvelous underneath all those robes," Minerva commented. Albus gave her a hurt look. "That's all I'm saying," she said, shrugging and pouring herself some more tea.

"I swear, headmaster, the man is going to drive me insane and I refuse to be held responsible for whatever comes out of my wand, unforgivable or not," Hermione said, seemingly unfazed by the appearance of the snarky potions master.

"No one will think it's your fault, Hermione," Minerva smiled, broadly. "We all know how hard he is to deal with… It's no secret."

"Professor, this plan isn't going to work. If the Death Eaters don't find us then I'm sure that whatever it is that comes out of that hell mouth will," Hermione said, sure of it.

"And if you don't kill each other," Harry added, helpfully.

"Thank you Harry," Hermione said, darkly.

"Miss Granger- Hermione, I must talk with you before you leave, all right? I have some things that you should know before you leave for Sunnydale, all right?" Albus said, calmly, peering at her over his half-moon spectacles.

"Yes sir, I understand," Hermione nodded, slightly, turning and walking up to her room.

Review. For all that I may ever ask you, I mean this the most… please, please review, even if you just put one word. Just say something. (No flames though)


	2. The Equal and Opposite

k, this is the new chapter, enjoy it or go to hell, no, I'm just kidding… just pretend you like it if you don't… ya, that'll work. Sure…

Hermione snapped awake, her wand burning hot. It was gripped tightly in her hand. Her breathing was ragged, and she was clammy. She felt hot and cold at the same time. She let go of her wand and it cooled. She picked it up again, and carried it with her into the bathroom. She set it on the counter, and took a quick shower.

As she stepped out, shivering from the sudden cool, she clutched the towel to her. She frowned at her wand. The marble countertop around it was charcoal black and her wand was burning red. She picked it up and frowned at it. It felt cool to her fingers. She shrugged, and muttered a drying spell, then a dressing spell.

Afterwards she walked back into her room, tying her hair into a loose bun, using elegant black and green Japanese sticks to hold it there. She dressed in black jeans and a green shirt with, ironically, a motionless Gryffindor Lion on it. She smirked, looking at herself in the mirror. "The perfect oxy-moron," she thought, about the Slytherin-green shirt, bearing the rival house's mascot.

Her hair was darker than it had been when she was younger and it was still almost unmanageable, but she had learned a few tricks, such as a pony-tail softens the frizz. She had left a few strands to surround her face, softening her features. She sighed, pulling on a Gryffindor scarlet jacket and wrapping a black scarf around her neck, one her mom had made for her before… no, she had told herself she wouldn't think about it.

Hermione shook her head, to clear the thoughts. She muttered a few spells to pack away all her belongings in her trunk. She then shrunk the trunk and slipped it into her pocket. Her wand began to grow hot again, this time searing. It burned her skin badly, before she could let go as it was against all wizard reflexes to just drop your wand when danger was near. So after gripping onto it, tightly, she let go and it dropped to the ground.

Hermione cried out in pain, trying to bite it back. She glared at her wand, but felt powerless without it in her grasp. She hurried out into the hall, opening the door with her left hand. She ran right into someone in her rush to go find Molly Weasley.

"Miss Granger, do watch where you're going," a cool voice snapped. It was Snape.

Hermione bit back her tears and forced her voice to be steady. "Sir, I need a Sanoaduro potion. Would you happen to have one," Hermione said, discreetly hiding her wand behind her back.

"Miss Granger, I believe you got an O on your potions NEWT. Why don't you brew it yourself if you're so brilliant?" Snape growled, irritated. He was not a morning person, obviously.

"It's kind of urgent sir," Hermione said.

"I don't see your hair on fire, Miss Granger," Snape said.

"I JUST NEED THE BLOODY POTION!" Hermione shouted, unable to stop herself.

"Miss Granger…" Snape began angrily, but he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes, tears of pain. He noticed her hand behind her back and quickly grabbed her wrist. She winced as he jostled her hand and it sent a stinging pain up her arm, screaming at her brain to pull away from him, but she didn't.

"How the hell did you do that, curling your hair you foolish girl? That's what wands are for," Snape said, studying it.

"Do you see curls in my hair, professor? Besides that it's my wand that did it. It was extremely hot this morning and when I let it go it cooled. I set it on the bathroom counter before a shower and it had scorched the counter, then it cooled when I picked it up. After I performed all the spells to pack away my belongings it burned me," Hermione said. She recognized the dark green turtle-neck sweatshirt that he was wearing and the black slacks that accompanied it and she again decided that the colors suited him well, as well as the muggle design.

"A witch without a wand is nothing better than a muggle," he told her. "We'll have to see Ollivander before we leave for America." He pulled a shrunken trunk out of his pocket and pulled out his wand, muttering, "Engorgio." The trunk became huge and Snape opened it, pushing back magical shelves, and reaching deep down into the trunk, reading labels as he went.

"Arranged by their properties?" Hermione asked.

"Indeed," Snape said. He still had hold of her wrist and she was on her knees at his side, as it took him a while to find the appropriate potion, very deep down at the bottom of the trunk.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Hermione said, softly, as he unceremoniously pulled off the cork of the potion with his teeth. He grunted in reply and set the potion down, taking the cork and setting it on the ground, all the while not letting go of her wrist.

"This is going to hurt," Snape said.

"I know," Hermione said.

"You know everything," Snape growled, looking at her harshly.

"Just potions," Hermione smirked at him, proudly. If only he knew how hard she had worked throughout school to be up to just below his standard, though she considered herself lucky, no one met his standards, better to be close at least. She had, in seven years, changed potions from her worst subject to her best, with very little help from him and also very little sleep, especially on the weekends, when she tested as many potions as she could get her hands on.

"Have I reminded you lately that no one likes a know-it-all," Snape snapped at her. "You're almost as insufferable as those two imbeciles you call your friends. Hermione looked down. It always hurt her when he insulted her, but she had learned to take it in stride. It was how he was. The muggles however would have trouble getting used to it she knew.

"Sir, have I ever told you how horrible you are to me and everyone else you come to pass?" Hermione said boldly.

"I'll find pleasure in this," he growled, pouring some of the goey potion onto his hand he began to smooth it onto the palm of her hand. She winced, but knew he was being gentle, even if his face was set angrily and his eyes were showing how furious he was.

"Thank you, sir," Hermione said, as he capped the rest of the potion and jammed it back into the trunk, which he slammed shut, shrunk and jammed into his pocket, stalking off without even looking back at her. She sighed, standing and following him.

"Albus, you wanted to speak with us?" she heard Snape ask in the dining room before she reached it.

"But where's… ah Hermione! Good morning dear," Albus smiled, broadly.

"Oh my darling Hermione! We're going to miss you so much," Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a smothering hug. "And we'll be missing your potions skills, Professor Snape," Mrs. Weasley commended.

"Sadly, I'll miss no one here," Snape said, coldly. "Albus, you wished to speak with us," he continued impatiently.

"Yes, of course, but in the main room if you will," Albus stood, and led them into the living room. Snape held the door out of the dining room open for Hermione in one of his rare shows of being raised a gentleman in the wizarding community. Hermione said nothing as she passed him, and she kept her eyes down. She hated when he stood like that. He was purposefully trying to intimidate her, by standing up to his full height and looking down at her, appraisingly, down his large nose. She did think that the few wisps of black hair that had fallen free of the green clasp at the nape of his neck to frame his face softened the intimidating expression a bit, but not much.

Hermione blushed bright red, when the headmaster suddenly embraced her, tightly when the door to the large living room closed, leaving the three of them in privacy. "I will miss you, my dear, young, brilliant Hermione Granger," Albus smiled sadly, looking down at her bright pink face. She was embarrassed by his piercing stare, as his blue eyes bore into hers. She looked down.

"No, Hermione, don't look down. Don't ever look down to anyone, not even to that bat there. He'll try and intimidate you and undermine you, but you have to stand your ground. Promise me that, will you?" he asked, softly, looking at her, closely. Hermione glanced at Snape as he stood behind the couch, staring into the fire, pondering something, with a scowl on his face. He obviously was oblivious to what the headmaster had just asked her.

"I'll try sir," Hermione said.

"No, don't try, Hermione, do," Albus said, but he let go of her shoulders, and walked to sit in a chair by the fire. He motioned for Hermione to sit down which she did. Snape just glared at the headmaster when Albus offered him a seat. He stood over Hermione, but she tried to ignore his overbearing presence.

"Well, the two of you both seem to know enough of the hell mouth to know of it's dangers and the demonic energy that surrounds it. You might also want to know that the Powers that Be have made sure that was evened out. They have a group of fighters there, one being Buffy Summers," Albus said.

"The slayer?" Hermione squeaked, in awe.

"There's no such thing, is there Albus? I thought that was a myth!" Snape said, loudly.

"Oh, it's true Severus. The Ministry and the Watchers Council, the group who advises the slayer, have been at odds with each other for centuries. Both pretend the others don't exist, when it would benefit both if they were to work together. No matter, however, there are now two slayers due to a dire loophole in the line, a mistake if you will," Albus said. "Both are in Sunnydale. The first one will, if she is good, know that there is something off about the two of you and may attack you before you meet her watcher. I have heard that she is little for finesse when she fights and all for her rashness," Albus said.

"A Gryffindor then?" Snape muttered. "I'll never get away from them."

"Hey! Not all Gryffindors are like that! I don't rush in without thinking first," Hermione exclaimed.

"Miss Granger, you were a very difficult choice for the sorting hat as I'm sure you know. He took quite a while on you," Albus said. "He was torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and he told me in good confidence that you would have been Slytherin if you hadn't been muggle-born," Albus explained.

"That would have made life easier in some respects," Hermione muttered, sending Snape a glare that he readily returned.

"I would have expelled you in your second year for stealing my potions supplies," Snape growled. Hermione looked away quickly, which seemed to satisfy the potions master, who smirked, crossing his arms.

"Sir, we are going to the hell mouth and to meet the slayers who may try to attack us, and then what? Are we just supposed to adopt muggle life?" Hermione asked, sounding tired.

"Well, my dear… that was the main reason I wanted to speak with you. The watchers name is Rupert Giles, by the way. Seek him out but in any case. I heard from Minerva of the field you had wished to go into after school," Albus said.

"Yes sir?" Hermione didn't dare look up at Snape.

"Well, to enter that field you can either attend a wizarding university or… be apprenticed," Albus said, smiling broadly. "It just so happened that the best potions master in England has agreed to continue your teachings… in America," Albus said. Hermione gasped looking back at Snape who was glaring into the fire. She said nothing, but a look of utter happiness settled in her eyes.

"Now, there's the matter of your wand," Albus said, grinning at her astonished look.

"The man knows everything. I don't know why you're surprised," Snape muttered.

"You must see Mr. Ollivander immediately. I'm sure he'll rectify the situation, now, on your way… and be careful," Albus warned.

"Thank you, headmaster," Hermione said, standing. Hermione was shocked as all her friends ran in: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George. They hugged her one at a time, well, except Fred and George who smothered her in a grand hug, together. She and Harry hugged the longest. She hugged him as tightly as she could and whispered to him, "Become an auror Harry. I know you can do it."

"I don't know Hermione. I don't know what we'll do without you," Harry replied, weakly.

"Be strong, look out for Ron and Ginny. I'll be back when things get bad. I swear to you that I will not leave you, never," Hermione whispered. "I will always be here. Call on me and I'll find you, I swear."

"Miss Granger, are we leaving?" Snape snapped, getting annoyed with how long she was taking.

"Yes sir," Hermione nodded. She asked Harry to borrow his wand and he allowed it. She waved his wand at the stairs and hers came zooming towards her. She caught it, and dropped it almost instantaneously.

Harry gave her a scared look, but she just shook her head. She unwrapped her scarf from her neck and used it to gently pick up her wand, and she wrapped it carefully.

Hermione hugged him again, which he returned, just as desperately. "You are the best friend I could ever have," Hermione said. "You too Ron. It's too bad you and I couldn't work isn't it?" Hermione told the red-head at his hurt look.

He laughed. "We wouldn't have survived a month," he said, offhandedly. She could see the hurt in his eyes, but knew that he understood why she had ended their romantic relationship short, a while back.

"Miss Granger!" Snape snapped, annoyed.

"I'm coming!" Hermione growled angrily at him. "Don't you have friends to say goodbye to?" Hermione asked.

"All my friends are death eaters," Snape replied, coldly.

"That's a lie and we both know it. Remus Lupin is your friend as is the headmaster. You could say goodbye to them. That's what you do when you have friends," she informed him.

"I'll thank you for that bit of wisdom if I ever get them," Snape said, stepping back, to let her get to the fire. Holding her wand in front of her, she gave both Harry and Ron a kiss on the cheek before hugging Ginny once more and walking to the fire, to follow Snape through.

"Thank you again Headmaster," Hermione said, softly, looking at him, trying to portray her gratitude, before stating "Ollivanders."

She stumbled out of the fireplace and again it was Snape that held her up from falling. "You are the most bumbling woman I've ever met," he said.

"I highly doubt that sir. I just get dizzy in there," Hermione told him.

Snape rolled his eyes. "There are no death eaters about Miss Granger. We had better make this quick," he told her.

"Yes sir," Hermione nodded. She walked to the counter and called for Ollivander who came out, quickly, his weird little eyes looking beadily at her.

"I knew you would, come Miss Granger, and I must tell you that I cannot help you," he said. "I cannot help you but to advise you," Ollivander sighed, heavily. He shuffled off to the back. "Wear these whenever dealing with your wand, and as you are a very readily provoked witch, you should wear them often," Ollivander got an odd smile on his face as he handed her a pair of soft black gloves.

"What is wrong with my wand though sir?" Hermione asked.

"You, my dear, have some natural wizardry in your bloodline. Your wand is a pureblood wand. Most wands designed for purebloods have more power, simply because their power is easily contained and most pureblood wands do little to hold back power. You however, having natural magic in you, have as much power as your wand. It is, how shall I say… having a rebellious stage. It will not go away until you come to control your own powers. This wand chose you for a reason, just as Severus Snape's wand chose him, eh Severus?" Ollivander grinned at the professor. "It takes a lot to hold in all that power. Your wand had some similar problems, yes?"

"I never had to wear gloves," Snape scoffed.

"That, young man, is because your power did not contradict the power of your wand. Her power is ricocheted off of her wand, and turned into something that will hurt her. It's her wands way of getting back at her for trying to use so much untamed power through it," Ollivander said.

"So, there's no way to stop these effects?" Snape asked.

"No, I'm afraid. She has to learn her equalizer… she has to learn whatever it is that holds her power in place. She has very little to keep her in one place, as such her powers go wild. Something has to ground her before she can fly," Ollivander said, cryptically.

"What a bloody help you are," Snape muttered.

"Um, how much for the gloves sir?" Hermione asked, in a faint, small voice. Snape looked at her weird. She was nervous for some reason. He frowned. She wasn't one to be so nervous.

"Nothing, you don't need to pay me for a fault in my wand. This is the least I can do for you," Ollivander said. He disappeared again into the back.

"Miss Granger what is wrong?"

"Professor Trelawny. I hate the woman and have always thought that she spoke complete nonsense but she told me on the last day of school, after pulling me out of my Transfiguration final, that I needed to learn to control my powers lest they control me. She said that power was radiating off of me when it should be staying in me," Hermione said. "It irked me, but I didn't think anything of it."

"It was probably just a fluke, Miss Granger. Take hold of the portkey. We have to go sometime," he said. "This will take us to New York and I will apperate us from there," he said.

"Why sir?" Hermione asked.

"You can track portkeys when used by the same person more than once," Snape explained. Hermione nodded, and touched the old paperclip as he brandished it. "I'm going to activate it. You have to hold on to it. Stop shaking," he snapped.

"I can't help it. I'm sorry!" she snapped. Snape sighed and grabbed her hand in his own, wrapping both his hands around hers, which he pushed the paperclip into. In seconds they were gone, bound for America…

Thank you, thank you, I would like to dedicate this award for extremely boring chapter to my alcoholic, pot-head mother and my abusive bastard of a father. If they had raised me better, I might have been able to come up with something better than this crap. Oh well, kids. I'm sorry about the chapter. I don't like it much, but they get to Sunnydale and lots of blood in the next chapter so yay! I'm out.


	3. Fighting is bad Very very bad

Snape pulled his hands away from hers which was shaking even more now. He walked up to a booth, pulling Hermione along at his side, making sure to not lose contact with her among the sea of American and European wizards alike. "A portkey from Britain to America, 7:00AM," he said, handing it to the wizard behind the glass window of the booth.

"Thank you… here are your papers, Mr. Snape and Miss Granger. Make sure to keep them with you at all times. Enjoy your stay in America," the wizard said in a droning monotone. "The apparition point is through those doors there," the wizard pointed to a pair or double-doors, where many people were walking in and out quickly.

"Bloody yanks," Snape muttered, pulling Hermione close to his side, surprising her. He kept his iron grip around her shoulders to ensure no one tried to attack her or take her from him.

"Sir, do you really think someone's going to kidnap me in such a busy place?" Hermione asked, shakily, nervous by how alert her Potions Master seemed to be.

"Where better a place, Miss Granger. Where it is easy to lose someone in a crowd and it is so unlikely a place to harm someone," Snape said. "I am the one here who used to be a death eater, not you. I know how they think. So, it will be my judgment we will be trusting in this matter.

"I didn't mean to question you sir," Hermione said. She was pushed hard as they came into the main flow of the crowd and stumbled. Snape caught her, deftly, raising his wand to the face of the wizard who had run into her. A frightened Irish wizard backed away from the dangerous-looking man, before bustling away.

Snape straightened Hermione, at his side, and pulled her along, not giving her a chance to catch her breath. "One good thing about an international apparition point, Miss Granger, when people are following you, they can't catch your apparition stream," Snape said. "Look to your right, discreetly. Hermione glanced to her right. Two people stood between herself and McNair, infamous for being a death eater.

"Now to the other side of me, your left," he instructed. None other than Lucius Malfoy walked briskly to their other side. Just as they reached the point, they could feel the restrictions of the wizarding building lift, Snape pushed her down, ducking the two curses fired at them from both their sides. Sitting on the ground, he pulled her to his side, again, and apperated them out.

Hermione felt horribly dizzy as the hard marble floor beneath them turned into soft green, beautiful grass when the world settled on an engulfing deep blue sky, spattered with stars. Hermione, still dizzy, rolled away from the professor and pressed her forehead into the cool grass. Her head throbbed, painfully. She felt Snape put a potion beside her hand and took it. She sniffed the contents, carefully making sure that he hadn't poisoned the bottle. She then downed it, when she recognized it as a MaceroConfusio (Reduce Confusion) potion. She gratefully thanked him, as the world around her cleared. She realized they were on the outskirts of a graveyard in a park… with a playground.

"They have a children's playground right next to a graveyard," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Muggles," Snape shrugged.

"I hadn't figured in the time difference," Hermione muttered, not having to even think to notice the darkness around them.

"We need to get inside," Snape said, pulling out his wand, so it was at the ready.

"Oh yes, hell mouth and all," Hermione sighed. "Uh, oh," Hermione said, spotting a dark man with a pale face and a blonde girl with bronze skin walking into the light of a streetlight not twenty yards away.

"Professor?" Hermione asked. "That's a vampire… I can feel it," Hermione said, shakily, backing away.

"Put on those gloves," he ordered. She pulled out the black gloves and slid them on. The fabric was soft and gentle against her skin. She pulled out her wand from the pocket inside her coat. It was still wrapped in the scarf. She wrapped the scarf around her neck. There may be a fight coming, but she didn't need to suffer the cold, she thought.

"Hey! Who is that?" the blonde called. Hermione stepped closer to Snape, as the girl's steely gaze locked on her.

"I can feel it… one of them is a vampire," Hermione could hear the girl tell her handsome dark companion, echoing her words almost exactly.

His eyes locked on hers and she shrunk back further in Snape's shadow. Snape nodded. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive; it's the dark man who is a vampire, but his energy level is very low," she said.

What scared her most is that he was a vampire, and his gaze was so caring and gentle.

"They're not," she heard the vampire say.

"Well there's something evil about them. I can feel it," the blonde said.

"That would be me and if you try to touch her, I'll stake you where you stand," Snape growled, stepping in front of Hermione, fully, as he saw the vampire's gaze boring into her.

"You think you stand a chance, Brit?" the blonde taunted.

"The term is British, you insolent child," Snape growled.

"Oh, hell no," the girl began to advance.

"Is she a vampire?" Snape growled.

"No, she's not. There's something different," Hermione said. "She's powerful, that's for sure, but it's not magical."

"Demonic?" Snape asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said, surprised that Snape was so easily trusting on this. She knew she was right, but he wasn't exactly the trusting type. "It is not like the creatures in the forbidden forest."

Snape nodded. The blonde woman continued to advance, until she saw the wand in Snape's hand.

"What are you going to do? Stake me? You think I'm a vampire?" the blonde laughed at him.

"No, I think he is," Snape turned his wand to the vampire, muttering, "Lumos." It was a powerful Lumos, a flash of sunlight that was very intense and sent the vampire to the ground, covering his face.

"You bastard," the blonde growled, lunging at him. Snape was unprepared. Hermione pushed him aside, realizing what the weird vibes this girl was giving off were.

"Slayer," she said, suddenly, as the girl flew past in her tackle. She went into a roll and got to her feet, in seconds.

"Good to know that the demons I kill know who I am," the blonde said, lunging at Hermione with a knife. Snape looked horrified. He jumped for Hermione, tackling her to the ground, just as the slayer came down with her knife. The knife slid into his lower back on the right side.

Hermione screamed in anger at Buffy who was coming after her. She held up her wand. "We do more than give you sunlight," Hermione snapped. "Stupefy!" she shouted, putting all her power into her wand. A blue light shot from her wand and hit Hermione, who fell to the ground, in a full body bind.

She saw the vampire coming at her, and held her wand shakily at him. He knocked it out of her hand, and grabbed her by the arms, roughly, but it could have been harder. She could tell he wasn't up to full strength just by his hold. "You're a good witch, aren't you?" he growled at her, his eyes flashing gold.

"She stabbed him! She is supposed to help the good and she stabbed him!" Hermione cried wildly, tears streaming down her face. The vampire's grip softened on her, and she backed away.

"What did you do to her?" he asked.

"She'll be fine," Hermione said, tears streaming down her face. "She won't even have a scratch on her."

"Fine, truce," the vampire said, holding out his hand. "I'm not a bad vampire," he promised. Hermione took his hand, slowly and shook it. His shake was gentle. She pulled away quickly, grabbed her wand and ran to Snape, who was trying to sit up, to help her. She pushed him back.

"He'll need a doctor. I can show you the hospital," the vampire said, moving the blonde into a sitting position. It was all he could do, he was too tired.

"I would never send him to a muggle hospital," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose, and pushing off her gloves.

"Professor, professor, look at me," Hermione said, gently. "Professor, please," Hermione pleaded, as he looked around, unable to focus

"He's losing too much blood," the vampire told her, quickly.

"I know, I know, I'm trying okay!" Hermione shouted at him, still crying. She remembered him putting the trunk into his breast-pocket. She reached into it, and made it larger. She shuffled through. "Healing ingredients… antidotes…" Hermione muttered to herself, shuffling through the potions. She found it quickly, by where the burn healing potion was. She pulled it out. And set it on the pavement.

Blood was pooling around him. She pushed up his sweater to reveal the wound that opened all the way to the front. She rolled him over onto his stomach, and pushed the skin around the wound apart, trying not to freak out, as his blood gushed all over her bare hands. She poured the potion into the wound as was required, not onto it. She turned him back over exerting herself, and poured it into the other side of the wound, ensuring that it would heal all the way through.

Hermione watched it heal the front then leaned her ear down to his mouth to hear his breath. It was regular now. "Enervate," she said, her voice shaking, her warm wand pointed at his forehead. He woke up, and immediately scrambled for his wand. He pointed it at Angel, but Hermione performed, "Expelliarmus," before dropping her again-hot wand. He grabbed his wand back, looking at her frowning, but not raising it.

"We've formed a truce. She's the slayer, professor. The headmaster warned us," Hermione said, trying to regulate her own breathing, trying feverishly to get the blood off her hands. He raised a hand to her face and wiped the tears from it.

"I'm all right," he promised her, seeing the question in her eyes. He stood, pulling her to her feet as well by her arm. He muttered a simple cleaning spell and her hands were clean. She slowly pulled the gloves back on then dipped down to grab her wand.

"I suspect we'll be seeing you then?" Snape said, coldly to Angel, who nodded, his eyes finally leaving Hermione to look at Snape, who stood up as tall as him, perhaps a few inches taller, but it was too dark to tell, and would be hard anyway with Angel kneeling beside Buffy's limp form.

"I suspect you will then," Angel replied. "Fix her," he said plainly, eyes on Hermione.

"She deserved much worse than she got," Hermione growled.

"Miss Granger, if she's the slayer, it's best we don't…" Snape didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as he bent over in pain.

"Sir! I put the potion into the wound. I should be-"

"Miss Granger, a wound like that takes weeks to heal even with all the best potions," Snape said. Hermione was paler still at this bit of news. She hadn't studied far into healing potions.

"She deserves worse than I thought," Hermione glowered. Snape glared at her, telling her to reverse whatever she had done. "Ennervate," Hermione said, harshly, pointing her wand at the blonde, who leapt off the ground and tried to lunge at Hermione, but the vampire grabbed her around the waist, calming her, but barely able to hold her back.

"Well, until next we meet," Snape glared at Angel. He turned with Hermione, indicating for her to follow him. He was limping slightly on his right side, and his breathing was hitched, but he walked straight up.

"We have a house in my new name here: Salazar Severus Smith. Albus was going to buy a summer home anyways. Why not make it of some use now?" Snape muttered.

"Is it close?" Hermione asked, too tired to find humor in the name chosen for him.

"Are you tired?" Snape asked, trying to control his breathing.

Knowing he refused to show his weakness, she nodded, meekly.

"It may be easier to apparate there," Snape said. "I-"

"I'll do it, I need to practice my apparating," Hermione said.

"I'm to be used for your practice while you're tired?" Snape asked, sneering. Hermione nodded again. If she did anything else he might get himself killed on the way to the house they were meant to go.

"It's right next to the high school. 2432 Watt Street," Snape told her. She nodded, taking his arm and shutting her eyes tightly, thinking of the address alone. Usually that's all you needed to apperate to a place and that's all she did need. In seconds they were standing outside of a small shabby-looking building that undoubtedly inside held the beauty of all places Albus owned.

"Home sweet… home," Hermione muttered, sourly, leading the way to the door and holding it open for Snape, who nodded in thanks. She closed the door, slowly.

REVIEW!!!

Review please… I hope you liked the interaction. If you hadn't guessed already Hermione and Buffy won't be getting along in this story in the slightest. I hate Buffy with a passion, but will try to not be too mean with her character… try being the operative word. Now, pairings anyone? I'm kind of liking the SSHG votes… That's what I usually write and that will make my life a whole lot easier, but I might make it a triangle of… love (If you're nice, I might even give you a quadrilateral of love)


	4. First Encounter with the Slayerettes

To my wonderful reviewers! Next time I'll locate these below the fic. Scroll down to the storyif you must, but you might miss something you would want tohear, like which pairing it'll be.

Damia: Thank you very much. I dislike Buffy with a passion and someone told me I shouldn't write btvs if I don't like buffy. I guess she didn't think about the fact that I could like other characters.

KaR-Lin: You probably won't come back to read this, but you're an idiot. You don't have to like Buffy to like the series. I hate Buffy because she turned into a bitch in the last four season and with Angel being my favorite character and she being horrible to him when she visits in the Angel series, I can't shake that image of her off. Read my bio if you want to know more about my dislikes for her. We all have our own problems. As far as I can tell she has food in her mouth and some pretty damn nice clothes and that's more than I have. She and you can get over yourselves.

MGoddess: Thank you so much. I've gotten two negative reviews in this chapter and I love all of you that are so positive. You are the ones that keep me going! THANK YOU!

Charmed-angel4: I'm so sorry, but it won't be a buffy/snape, but there may be a little willow/snape. I'll cool her down after chapter 7 I promise, but I really think she's a stubborn person and doesn't like when she's wrong. I'm not making her mean just out of hate for her, but she feels something evil about them so she's not going to be very inclined to like them. I really wish I could write the story with that pairing for you but I've also got a large number of sshg requests. Sorry!

Shelby: It's great to have a fan of my story. I was going to cut Snape hair, but that's kind of like part of his image, so I didn't want to completely change him, but I washed it! (hehe) I've already wrote the meeting of Xander, Willow and Hermione, but it's not too exciting. Hermione will get close to Cordy though, so I hope you like her. I'll go change those mistakes, thanks! Also, I will have all the third season characters in it (including Snyder… grins evilly). I won't have to rush, I've already written the story, up to chapter 6, so I don't really feel any pressure. Thanks for your review.

Tina: thanks!!!

GeekGoddess: You're name is one letter short of my Ashwinder screenname! I'm GreekGoddess there! That's awesome. You have good taste in names! Ya, with all the requests for sshg, I went back and changed some of the story to hint some sshg, but pairings will come before then I warn you.

Dogbertcarroll: I think my chapter works. It wasn't so much Buffy insulting them for being British, but for being 'demons' from Britain. I thought she had made fun of Spike's accent once in the second season so I added that in there. She didn't attack them because they have magic. She had no idea they were wizard until they cast a spell on her, well except the Lumos spell… but she thinks they're evil. She didn't think the willow/jenny/giles/amy were evil so she wouldn't have attacked them, you're right about that.

Tigerfanfry: That's an awesome name. Thanks and check again one more for sshg. I love this. My favorite pairing kicking ass in the votes, but willow/snape is close behind.

Azulkan: I'll give you some willow/snape, I promise, whether or not willow/snape wins. I know either willow/snape or Hermione/snape are going to win.

Hehe, I made you think I was actually going to tell you which had won. VOTE VOTE VOTE!

Hermione was so tired; she didn't even feel like taking in the image of the lovely little house as she followed Snape in his inspection. The living room was to the right as they entered the house and the dining room to the left.

He led the way into the dining room then to the kitchen. It was a huge kitchen and had a large island in the middle of it. The cabinets were smooth mahogany with black knob-like handles and the counter was a dark green, with all the necessary items of a kitchen and more about the room. There was a couch against the back wall of the kitchen that somehow managed to fit in and a bench by the door to the dining room. It was the kitchen of a Slytherin chef if one ever existed

The back door was black and the green curtains were closed tightly. Hermione turned on the lights as they went and was surprised when Snape wasn't surprised at the light, being a wizard and living without electricity for the most part.

They took a quick look into the large living room, decorated in Gryffindor reds and gold, which caused Snape to scowl. He continued their trail up the wooden staircase at the back of the living room. They were welcomed up the stairs by the sight of an amazing library. It was packed with books, shelves covering two of the walls up to the ceiling fifteen feet above, where beautiful gothic light fixtures hung. It was a comfortable room, decorated in a mixture of the Gryffindor red and Slytherin green. Hermione smiled, knowing now for sure that the headmaster had decorated the house completely for their use.

Snape continued scowling as he reached the big oak door against one of the walls. This wall was completely green and beside the door was the tapestry of a green snake. He opened the door and inside it was amazingly Gryffindor. "That is your room," he said, stiffly. Hermione nodded, having caught a glimpse of the room. She held back a smile. The wall with a lion tapestry had another door that opened into a completely dark and very green room, perfect for the potions master.

Without so much as a word to Hermione, he went in and slammed the door behind him.

Hermione sighed and went into her own room. She dropped into the bed, without bothering to change, and fell asleep quickly. It didn't matter that she had woken up only a few hours ago, she was tired.

Hermione awoke the next morning to an angry grumbling in the next room. She got up looking down at her watch. She saw that it was 6:00. "Time for school," she thought, pushing herself up. She muttered a quick cleaning spell on herself and charmed a new outfit onto her. She was wearing a white, button-down shirt, untucked, but not long, only falling an inch below the top of her hip-hugger jeans. The sleeves of the shirt went just barely past her elbows. She frowned looking at herself in the mirror, then waved her hand again and a black belt with a silver buckle appeared around her waist. It helped the outfit look all right with the black gloves that she knew she wouldn't take off that day.

There was a thump from the other room. "Professor!" she called frowning.

"Mind your own business," he snapped back.

"Yes sir," Hermione muttered. She smiled at the thought of him struggling to get dressed in the muggle clothes as that was probably his problem.

She sighed and suddenly thought about food. She hoped the kitchen was stocked. She hurried out of her room, and through the library, down the stairs, through the living room, small entrance room, and dining room until she reached the kitchen finally.

She went directly to the refrigerator, and opened it. She thanked Albus for always foreseeing all the parts of something. The refrigerator was completely stocked and looked beautifully neat. She took out what she would need to make pancakes and eggs from the fully-stocked cupboard and refrigerator. She heard Snape stalking to the doorway, then stopping in his tracks.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Cooking, I find it relaxing to do it the muggle way," Hermione replied, lightly, as she stirred the pancake mix, looking in a few cupboards before finding a pan. She then started to cook the pancakes, retrieving a spatula to flip them.

"How do you like you eggs sir?" Hermione asked.

"However," he muttered, going to the sink and waving his wand at the dishes that she had already used. They began to clean themselves. He watched them closely, as if they would start fighting with each other. Hermione just shrugged at his odd behavior.

"Good, I'm excellent at making scrambled," Hermione said, trying to be friendly with the grumpy and tired potions master, who shrugged.

"Sir, are you all right?" Hermione asked, quietly after a long silence, and she had about four pancakes stacked up and the eggs on the pan, cooking.

"I am tolerable, Miss Granger, considering… Did he hurt you?" Snape asked, after a moment. "I saw him grab you by the arms." Snape avoided her gaze.

"It's just a few small bruises, sir, nothing serious. They're not painful," Hermione said, quietly, looking back to the cooking.

Snape nodded, saying nothing more. Hermione separated the eggs onto two plates as well as the pancakes.

She carried them into the dining room, and Snape remained finishing the washing. She came back to finish the pot of tea she had begun.

"Go on in, sir, it's ready. We should hurry," Hermione said.

"I'm aware of that Miss Granger," Snape said bitingly, but he did as he was asked.

Hermione and Snape ate in a companionable silence, with only a comment on the inadequate tea, which Hermione shrugged off.

By the time they had finished it was 6:45. Hermione waved on a black coat, as they approached the door. It wasn't very cool outside, but Hermione didn't want to leave without at least the light jacket.

"Sir?" Hermione asked, glancing back to see if he was ready. He nodded, opening the door. They walked out of the shabby-looking building and began the quiet walk to the school, interrupted only by quickly-walking over-achievers on their way to study before school and a few students in green uniforms, standing straight and walking in a controlled, quick step. (JROTC baby! Yeaya! Charlie Company Hu-Ah!)

They entered the school in silence and they walked to the office in silence, Snape following Hermione, as he didn't know how to navigate in a muggle school. Hermione led them directly to the office, where people were sitting at phones for the most part, but a secretary stood and walked over to them.

"Hello, you must be Mr. Smith… the new teacher and his assistant Miss Griffith?" the woman asked, welcomingly a broad smile on her face.

Snape nodded, while Hermione responded with a soft, "Yes ma'am."

"British are you dear? Did you grow up in England?"

"Yes, she grew up in England, can we please get this over with?" Snape snapped.

"Well, I'll just get a TA to show you to your room. He's trying to get extra credit. The only zero-hour office aid," the woman said, conversationally, but was cut off with a dark glare from Snape. Hermione sighed. He was slipping into his usual teaching demeanor and it wouldn't do here.

"Well then, Justin!" the woman called. A young man jumped up, hurrying over. He frowned at Snape.

"Justin will you show these two to their classroom?" the woman asked.

"Sure… I'd - love to," he said, his eyes sweeping over Hermione appreciatively, who edged away from him.

"I do believe she asked you to show us to our room, not take your teen hormones out on someone not interested, now move," Snape barked. Justin glared at him, but Hermione smiled at it. As much as she knew he couldn't do that, it comforted her to know that he hadn't changed from the person he had always been.

They followed Justin through the hallways quickly and when he stopped in front of a room, they did as well.

"If there's nothing else?" he growled, before stalking off. Hermione opened the door, and led the way in. Snape closed the door behind them.

"Insolent child," he muttered.

"Sir, you can't act like that here. I told you. You have to mellow a bit," Hermione said.

"I do not 'mellow' when people waste my time. I will not bester them if they do not act like children, which they are not," he muttered.

"I guess that's all I can ask of you," she sighed. "If Remus were here…" she whispered, under her breath, knowing he would catch it. He did but didn't say anything.

On the teachers desk lay an envelope with the name Rowena Griffith on it and a note beside it, which Snape picked up and read. "Computer?" he asked, frowning at the word.

"You're kidding right?" Hermione asked.

"What is it?" Snape demanded.

"All right, don't ask how this works, please, just pretend it is by magic. This is a mouse…" it took Hermione almost forty-five minutes to explain the way the computer worked with minimal confusion.

"I think sir, no offense, but I should take care of the computer grades and you take care of the books. Will that work?" Hermione asked.

Snape, who was slightly frazzled and confused by the computer, nodded quickly.

"Great," Hermione said, taking up the envelope, pulling the paper out from inside it, and unfolding it. She read it quickly. "I have first period as a Teachers Aid in the Library?" Hermione frowned. "I thought the headmaster said-"

"If the headmaster gave you the class, then take the class. Don't argue Miss Granger," he said irritated.

"I have a whole morning of idiot's classes, sir. Why not just help you all day?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe the headmaster wants you to learn something about and you have choir and drama… those are not an idiot's class," Snape said, trying to hide his amusement.

"He thinks I'll stick out like a sore thumb if I am in a class I can follow, doesn't he?" Hermione said, irritated.

"It seems like it doesn't it?" Snape smirked.

"Bloody Dumbledore," Hermione muttered. "I was hoping to learn something this year."

"You will Miss Granger. You will be working on potions with me after school every day. We will secure one of the school laboratories," Snape stated.

"What happened to the last teacher here? It is into the year," Hermione frowned.

"Dead, sucked dry by a pack of vampires," Snape stated. Hermione paled, but nodded.

"Do not take those gloves off, Miss Granger," He warned, as she opened the door to leave.

"I won't," Hermione replied, running into someone as she left. The girl's books all fell to the floor. Hermione immediately reached for her wand, but stopped, scolding herself. She stooped down and helped the scrambling girl with her things. The girl had red hair and was wearing blue overalls with a red shirt. "I'm sorry," Hermione apologized quickly, handing the girl her notebooks.

"Oh, no, it's my fault. I'm clumsy. It happens all the time. I just have some problems with coordination sometimes and all that," the girl rambled.

"Where were you headed?" Hermione asked.

"The library… you?" the girl asked.

"Same place, I am the librarian's aid," Hermione explained.

"Are you British?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I am," Hermione nodded.

"I thought so. That sounds like fun being an aid in the library! I didn't know Giles had a teacher's aid position!" the girl said.

"Giles?" Hermione frowned, deeply, knowing that was the name of the watcher she was looking for. "Rupert Giles?"

"Yes do you know him from England?" the red-head asked her, excitedly.

"In a way, I guess, yes," Hermione nodded. "I'm… Rowena Griffith," Hermione said the name that she remembered on the envelope.

"Well, I'm Willow Rosenburg. It's great to meet you," Willow said.

"You two. Do you think you could show me to the library?" Hermione asked, slowly.

"Oh! Ya, of course I can!" Willow said, abashed. She began leading the way. Hermione, seeing how much Willow was struggling with her many books. Feeling some empathy as she remembered her third year, she took off the top half of the books. Willow gave her a grateful look. "So, why'd you move to America?" Willow asked.

"I'm running," Hermione said, simply.

"Running? From what?" Willow frowned.

"It's kind of a long story," Hermione said.

"I have time," Willow said.

"Maybe sometime I'll tell you," Hermione replied.

"Oh, okay," Willow looked crestfallen.

Hermione began to hear angry voices from the library ahead. "I didn't ask for a bloody assistant because I don't bloody need an assistant!" a distinctly annoyed British voice reached her ears. She glanced at Willow who gave her an apologetic look.

"He's probably tired," Willow said.

"I'll bet," Hermione muttered.

"Hey B, catch!" another voice said.

"Faith, don't throw knives," a distinctly familiar voice said.

"Buffy, what in your knowledge of Faith makes you think that will work?" a laughing male voice said.

"Well, it took me hours to get the blood off my clothes last night. Do you know how many good clothes I lose for this job," the second girl's voice said.

Hermione's temper flared as she pushed open the door, harder than necessary.

"You are the watcher, then?" Hermione asked. Willow gave her a horrified look. Hermione set Willow's books on the counter. "You!" Hermione rounded on the blonde girl she knew now for sure to be the slayer Buffy Summers, with her wand raised in a gloved hand. "You stabbed him and you are worried about your bloody clothes?" Hermione shouted at Buffy. "Ya, sure, he's feeling fine this morning, even though you STABBED him!"

"Hey, yo, just back up and cool down. What's going on?" the brunette girl said. Hermione turned her wand on that girl.

"**She** stabbed my… my… mentor," Hermione said, not finding the words without using professor.

"Buffy? You didn't tell us the person you stabbed last night was human," Giles said, deadly serious.

"He wasn't," Buffy stated, sure of herself.

"He was as human as me! Being a witch does **not** make you inhuman!" Hermione snapped, angrily.

"That… you're one of Albus Dumbledore's students?" the British man, Giles asked in shock.

"Call me Hermione Granger, call me Rowena Griffith, I don't care, but the next time she speaks I'm going to hit her with a powerful Cruciatus. You know the headmaster, perhaps you can explain that particular curse to your bloody slayer and keep her on a tight leash," Hermione said, still holding her wand in the direction of Faith and Buffy.

"Miss Granger, you are already making friends I see," Snape's cool voice came from the door.

Hermione turned away from Buffy, trying to control her anger. The girl foolishly lunged for Hermione's wand and knocked it away too, but Hermione dove for it, using a shoulder roll to roll up into a kneeling position her wand directly between Buffy's eyes.

"I may not be strong and I may not have slayer reflexes, _Buffy_, but I was trained as an auror this summer. I know curses to peel off your skin layer by layer until there's nothing left but muscle and bone," Hermione growled, dangerously.

"Miss Granger get up and stop fighting with that foolish spoiled brat," Snape said.

"She stabbed you!" Hermione snapped, her eyes not leaving Buffy's.

"Yes and you healed me, now get off the ground and put your wand away," Snape ordered.

Hermione stood up and backed away slowly, her wand still in Buffy's face. Once she was at Snape's side she lowered her wand, not putting it away.

"Severus Snape?" Giles' stunned voice said, suddenly realizing who the man was.

"What?" Xander frowned. "I am so beyond lost."

"The best Potions Master in Europe!" Giles exclaimed. "He completely changed the way people make wolfsbane and how the art of potions is taught."

"Europe's quite a stretch and the only reason I changed that potion was to keep Lupin out of my hair," Snape scoffed.

"Professor this is Mr. Rupert Giles… the watcher," Hermione said, glowering.

"I'm not stupid, Miss Granger," Snape growled.

"Fine, I'll just get out of your hair then," Hermione snapped, turning and stalking out of the room, shoving her wand in her pocket. She angrily slammed the door closed behind her, ignoring Snape's order for her to come back. She moved swiftly through the quickly filling halls, deftly avoiding running into anyone. She stopped when she got to the cafeteria. She smiled at woman slaving over her large pot. The woman acknowledged her with a surprised and somewhat pleased expression. Hermione took a bagel and paid for it with some muggle money. Hermione was far from poor with all the life insurance and already acquired money her parents had left her when they had been murdered. In Britain she had some of her muggle money turned into American dollars. She understood the system of payment in America well enough. Another woman with a hair net handed her the change and she sat down at a table in the cafeteria.

Hermione ate her breakfast in silence, not noticing anyone and thankfully not being noticed by anyone… much.

Review please, but be nice double-please. The pairing vote's still open. Now I close it off to be Willow/Snape or Hermione/Snape, because no one else really has a chance so far. Sorry to the other fans. You can vote for different couples too, but Cordy/Xander will stand no matter the votes.


	5. More into Natural Magics

**IMPORTANT!** To all of you who are calling Hermione out of character for defending Snape, I want you to try to think of it how I do, so I'm going to try and explain. Hermione has always lived in England and suddenly she's sent to another country on the other side of the world, and the only familiar thing she has is Snape, who has been mean and nasty, but at least he's predictable to Hermione. If that happened to me, I'd be defending Snape to! Might I remind you he stepped in front of a slayer's knife for her. And when I say Snape got stabbed in the stomach, I'm thinking close to his ribs. That same level on Snape might be different on the shorter Hermione. It might have been dangerously close to her heart. I'd bloody well defend the hell out of him against someone who had tried to kill me and who stabbed him, when he was protecting her! Thank you for listening to my rant. I hope that quashes the angry outbursts of a few of my reviews and cries for less ooc. I don't see it as ooc. Quiet murmur of ooc are fine, but I don't like angry emails.

Hermione sat eating her breakfast until she felt a hand on her shoulder and a shadow falling over her.

"I don't want to talk to you," she said, darkly, knowing exactly who was hovering over her.

"Miss Granger, why did you leave like that?" Snape demanded.

"I'm not a student anymore, I'm a fully-qualified witch and will not be treated like a child. If that's how you're going to treat me, I'll have the headmaster find me somewhere else to be," Hermione said. "I'm sure you can handle yourself here. Remus can protect me for all I care."

She heard Snape's question hanging in the air, even though he didn't voice it. "Yes I know that you're supposed to protect me. I had no disillusions that I was sent here to protect you, sir."

Snape sighed and took the seat beside her. "Miss Granger, I am how I am for many reasons that I can't help. There are just parts of my personality that come into play that I cannot control. I will, however, make an effort," Snape said.

"Is there really a point in being here? Everywhere I go in this school I feel like the air around me buzzes. Every other person I pass has some type of magical abilities," Hermione said. "It might seem like that would be comforting considering I grew up around wizards, but there is so much dark energy everywhere that I cannot keep my mind straight. I don't much believe in divination, but I believe in what I feel that something bad is going to happen any second and some cry against humanity is being committed every moment," Hermione said.

"Is there really that much energy around this place?" Snape asked.

"You can't feel it?" Hermione frowned.

"There are different types of natural magic. I believe this is yours. It is rare to get natural magic in a pureblood family, but mine only enhances my skills of Legilimency and Occlumency," Snape explained.

"So this is what he's talking about and why you believed me last night when we ran into that vampire and the slayer?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, and about that vampire. I want you to stay clear of him. Buffy insists that he's healthy and stable, but… I'm sure you understand. He tried to end the world with about half a year ago when his demon took over his body, but just to be safe," Snape said, seriously. "No one else knows that he's back and she promised she wouldn't spread news of our powers throughout the school if we didn't say anything about the vampire. Apparently, he's only just come back and he killed Giles' beau in his alternate state," Snape said, darkly.

"That's horrible… how did he get his soul?" Hermione asked.

"Soul? Vampires can't-"

"Oh, they can, but he's the only one who hadn't committed suicide directly afterwards. Read 'An In-Depth of Vampires and their Alternate Spirits,' and you'll understand more," Hermione explained.

"And you know it's there because of your natural magic?" Snape asked.

"No, it was in his eyes," Hermione said.

"Miss Granger, you are young. Looks can be deceptive," Snape warned.

"I know I'm right. His eyes are gentle, and besides, he's in a weak state. I've met a full-strength vampire and his strength pales in comparison," Hermione explained.

"Maybe he was just having an off day or is a weak vampire," Snape shrugged. "Stay away from him, Miss Granger," Snape said. Hermione merely made a noncommittal sound. The bell rang, signaling that students needed to get to class.

Hermione stood and went off towards the library, the opposite direction of Professor Snape. Buffy, walking past her in the hall, bumped her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Buffy turned but when she saw Hermione, she turned and continued on her way.

Hermione was helped up by a brunette. "God, what'd you do to get on her bad side?" a voice asked. Hermione looked up to see a pretty brunette girl, who helped her to her feet.

"She didn't intentionally run into me, but she did intentionally not help me up," Hermione said, softly. "Who're you?".

"Oh, ya, Cordelia Chase, Cordy. I date her best friend. I thought I was the only one to see her for who she was," Cordy said. "You're British. You have a nice accent. I bet all the guys love it."

"I've only dated boring, immature British boys so I wouldn't know. You know about va…" Hermione trailed off.

"Yah, you know too?" Cordy looked overjoyed.

"Witch," Hermione stated.

"I'm not a- oh, you are," Cordy said, understanding. "Ya, I know about it. Buffy is horrible, sometimes, subtly mostly and when she's too stubborn to admit she's made a smistake, but I've never seen her do something quite physical to someone, even by accident without remedying it," Cordy stated, frowning.

"Well let's see… she attacked us, us being Pro-Mr. Smith and myself, thinking we were demons. She stabbed him, and I knocked her out with a simple spell. I found out a secret I've found out that she didn't want found out and I beat her in a squabble, meaning I got to my wand before she could grab my neck," Hermione explained.

"Nice," Cordy said. "What'd you find out?"

"I can't say, sworn to secrecy," Hermione said.

"Well, what're your classes then?" Cordy asked.

"I have Library Aid, Choir, Drama, Lunch, then I spend my afternoon classes helping Mr. Smith, the new English teacher, also a…" Hermione knew Cordy would get it.

"Cool! Is he hot?" Cordy asked, enthusiastically. "I have him last period. It's a shame about Mr. Davis, but he was an ugly old bastard."

"Well, in a dark way, he's handsome I suppose," Hermione said, surprised at herself for admitting what she had thought about in potions all through her Seventh Year class, when she had first started really looking at him.

"Nice!" Cordy said. "How old?" she persisted.

"About 38 or 39 I think," Hermione said.

"So, not too old, but almost there?" Cordy asked.

"In wizard years, he's considered young actually," Hermione said. They had started walking towards the library.

"There's a difference in years?" Cordy asked.

"Well in the wizarding world, people can live up to 200 years old," Hermione said.

"There's a wizarding world, like with wiccans and voodoo?" Cordy frowned.

"Oh, no, I'm talking about magic with wands. You have to be born with wand magic," Hermione said.

"Oh, that's cool, hey, I'll see you around ok?" Cordy asked, as she turned into a classroom.

Hermione nodded, goodbye and continued forward to the library. She turned into it and walked through the empty library to set her things on the large oak table.

"Mr. Giles?" she asked, looking around. She walked towards his office and looked in. He was sitting at his desk, looking quite disconcerted.

"Ah, Miss Griffen. I'm- er- sorry about earlier and about- er-" Giles said, awkwardly.

"You don't have to do everything Snape says. He's an overbearing, stubborn man if there ever was one, but he wouldn't hurt you," Hermione said. "You don't have to apologize to me because of a fight I had with your arrogant slayer."

"Yes, well, she means well," Giles sighed.

"Indeed," Hermione nodded. "Out of curiosity, what did Professor Snape threaten if you didn't apologize to me?"

"Cruciatus," Giles said, faintly.

"Ah, well, he seems to not have lost his touch of intimidation," Hermione smirked. "I do hope he doesn't screw up his classes."

"Tea Miss Griffen?" Giles asked.

"Yes, tea would be very good thank you," Hermione nodded.

"Professor Snape informed me that you weren't at school for grades, but to hide. He didn't specify. What exactly are you hiding from?" Giles asked.

"Voldemort," Hermione replied, shortly. She had long since lost any reproach she had for saying the name.

"I thought Harry Potter destroyed him!" Giles exclaimed.

"No, not completely. He was able to come back and he did. I'm one of Harry's two best friends, Hermione Granger, but my new name here is Rowena Griffith. The professor was a spy in his ranks, but got caught and obviously at a time he was thinking about me or the Dark Lord wouldn't have taken an interest in me, so here we are and he's supposed to keep us both alive. I would say we have to keep us alive, but since neither he nor the headmaster regard me as a fully-qualified witch, he's the one keeping us safe," Hermione muttered.

"I see," Giles nodded. "You are still young though. What are you going to do about your future?" Giles asked.

"Yes, well, I was going to go into the field of potions and conveniently I was sent into hiding with a great potions master," Hermione said.

"That's the best of luck," Giles nodded.

"So, what is going on here?" Hermione asked, curiously.

"Ah, that is a story, Miss Griffith. That name is what I should call you?" Giles asked.

"Rowena. I'll just try to go by that," Hermione said.

"Ah, all right Rowena. You want to know what has happened here how far back?" Giles asked.

"As far as you're willing to go," Hermione conceded.

"Well, for centuries, this has been a hellmouth. It attracts all kinds of evils and Buffy… and Faith have the job of preventing them from taking over…" Giles spoke the rest of the period about all that had happened the past two years, a shortened version. She had seen how painful it was to speak of Angel, then worse… of Angelus. Hermione came out with a greater understanding of the situation of all the people in this elite group. She also, from an outsider's view, decided that Angel was as much the victim as any of them and that saddened her greatly. Her heart went out to him.

"So where is Angel now?" Hermione asked.

"He's in hell. Acathla swallowed him instead of the world," Giles said.

Hermione nodded her head, jumping as the bell rang. Giles looked drained from the tale he had just reiterated to Hermione. They both stood. Hermione stepped forward and hugged Giles, surprising them both. "You're a strong man Rupert Giles. "Don't ever forget that," Hermione told him. Giles looked down at her, frowning, but she turned quickly and walked out.

Hermione went through Drama without incidence, helping a group she was assigned to write a fantasy skit. She had had much fun with that. She had a blonde-haired boy and a black-haired boy in her group and had written out a script with her as Lupin and a frumpy-looking boy as Snape. She reenacted the first lesson of the dueling club, which they would perform the next day.

Hermione followed a group of chattering girls to choir, which was taught by a woman that reminded Hermione of Professor Trelawny. She was passionate, loud, and melodramatic.

"Ah, you're new dear. What's your name?" the woman asked.

Hermione thought a moment, then said, "Rowena Griffin, ma'am."

"Ah, I've never had a student with such a lovely English accent dear, can you sing?" the woman, Mrs. Marshall, asked.

"Um, yes ma'am," Hermione replied, skittishly. This was something that she revealed to no one. She blushed madly.

"Sing then dear," Mrs. Marshall said, smiling. "Up here, come! Sing!"

Hermione shuffled forward, shyly off the elevated steps of the room to the front.

"What do you want me to sing?" Hermione asked, looking nervously at the scrutinizing eyes of the students.

"Anything dear as long as it comes from your heart," Mrs. Marshall said.

Hermione took a deep shuddering voice, the first song coming to her mind left her lips in a softer, sadder version of the song than could be portrayed through a CD or Tape, a version that could be heard in volumes when one listened to the heart of another.

Give me a reason to believe that you're gone  
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong  
Moonlight on the soft brown earth  
It leads me to where you lay  
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home

I will stay forever here with you  
My love  
The softly spoken words you gave me  
Even in death our love goes on

Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love  
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love  
They don't know you can't leave me  
They don't hear you singing to me

Hermione's gentle voice faded and she opened her misty eyes. She didn't remember when she had even closed them. The shocked looks of the other singers met her. Hermione ducked her head when she saw that even Mrs. Marshall had an astonished look on her face. She didn't think her voice was _that_ bad! They didn't have to look at her like that.

"My dear Rowena that was brilliant. Where have you been hiding that voice?" Mrs. Marshall looked stunned.

"I- I didn't know it was okay," Hermione stammered, her cheeks bright pink.

"You have the most beautiful voice I have ever heard, in this classroom at least!" Mrs. Marshall said.

"Thank you," Hermione looked down.

"Here, dear, learn this. There are try-outs next week for the solo part of the Christmas Concert. Would you be willing to sing for it?" Mrs. Marshall asked.

"I can't… I'd have to get permission from… I don't think…" Hermione stuttered.

"Just take this, dear. Learn it and ask your parents. I'm sure they'll see the light," Mrs. Marshall said.

"All right, but I don't…" Hermione trailed off.

"Just try dear. There's no harm in it is there?" Mrs. Marshall commended. "Now, here's the sheet music. You can sing along with us today reading it off, but I want you to know it by Monday if you can. Four days is only just shy of how long the others got to learn it," Mrs. Marshall said, sending her back to her place in the rows of students, pressing a packet into her hands.

The music started and Hermione sung along with everyone else, muting her voice slightly so she didn't draw more attention to herself. Snape would not be happy if this happened every day.

Hermione walked quickly out of the class, with her head down when the bell rang. Her stomach churned painfully, and she didn't feel like eating anything.

I know, I know, if Hermione weren't a cannon character, then she'd be called horrible mean Mary-Sue names, but I think the greatest magic out there is music and since their music is so horrible sounding (hello, you heard what they said about it in book 5. The Weird sisters are horrible to imagine with their scraping instruments) maybe that's because a good voice is so easily found in the wizarding world. It's a thought

Now, to my reviewers

Celi: I'm glad you looked into this story without knowledge of Btvs. Don't worry, I'll try to keep you in it. I'll give you a better view on them in a few chapters.

Chicklepea: You have to read a lot of SSHG and SSOC fics to be able to see Severus Snape as more than your description of him. Everyone feels something right? He's not exempt and someone in this story it going to make him realize this.

Starlight Dreamer: Thanks for your vote, I think I'm going to end it, because it's becoming ridiculously turned one way, not that I'm going to tell you which way. People are even emailing me to vote, which I am counting, so… ya… You can't even find out who won because you can't read my emails! HA!

Charmed-angel4: Oh goodness? I was being mean to Giles? I love Giles too! I couldn't be mean to him! Was I? Anyways ya Hermione being close to Hermione has to do with I had to make her friends with someone and Willow was too obvious a choice. Everyone has them as close friends (exaggerated I know) and Hermione's so used to people like Parvati and Lavender, whose characters are portrayed in much the same way as Cordy's that I decided to just try it.

Lucky Shamrock: Aw, thanks, don't get too gushy on me. Just kidding. Check for W/Snape k. I do tend to get a bit of OOC with the two main characters, but how can you not. The books don't give us a very close perception of who Hermione is so some aspects of her personality I have decided she could have gotten over two years. Thanks for the wish of luck.

Tina: **This is the point in third season between Band Candy and Revealations**. They don't know that Angel's back yet, so ya. Revelations is the one where they find out about Angel and the episode after Revelations is the one where Spike comes back. So he'll be in the story

Dido: I explained the Hermione OOC thing at the beginning of the chapter. Thanks for reviewing.

SarahTee: Gleefully checks the SSHG side. Thanks!

Trinna: Mutters grudgingly and marks SSWR

Spammer: Trinna, this isn't you too right? SSWR check

Damia – Queen of the Gypsies: thanks, I loved your review so much! You're kind of funny. Haha

CommodoreJewlz: YES ONE MORE FOR SNAPE KIDS CHECK THAT OUT!

Azulkan: Yes, yes, you want sswr, got it… sighs

Tigerfanfry: cool, thanks for reviewing!


	6. Blinded by Many Colors

Hermione walked quickly to Snape's room, slipping in as the last students left.

"Professor, I have a problem," Hermione said. Snape looked up sharply from the essays he had made his last class write in 45 minutes. He marked them down nastily, but did not make comments as he did at Hogwarts.

"What?" Snape asked. "You seem all right to me," Snape pointed out.

"I- I sang in choir…" Hermione began.

"Really? That's what you do in choir? Sing?" Snape said with mock-surprise.

"Sir, they want me to take a solo for the Christmas Concert," Hermione said, faintly.

"Yes, and why not?" Snape asked.

"We're supposed to be keeping a low profile," Hermione said.

"Miss Granger, you are allowed to have a life here, as much as you may think otherwise," Snape told her.

"But sir…" Hermione began.

"Just take the solo if you want it, Miss Granger. I don't want to be pestered further with this, youpersistant little twit," Snape said, annoyed.

"Yes, sir," Hermione said, looking down and trying to biteback the ready comment she had for him. Shethen took a seat at a small desk in the back corner of the room. She looked at the door then levitated the computer over to her. She got down on her hands and knees to hook it up, casting a disillusion charm to that it looked like the computer was still on Snape's desk. After many strains and various plugs, she sat up, satisfied that the stupid thing would work. She didn't claim to be a computer genius but she was sure it would work now. She pushed in the on switch for the computer then the monitor.

"So, Miss Granger, you have a mystifying voice that the muggle just couldn't resist?" Snape asked, after a long time,implying a lot with that statement.

"Professor! I would not use magic for that!" Hermione said indignantly.

Snape sneered at her, but went back to his down-grading of the muggle essays. "You are so infuriating!" Hermione exclaimed.

"So I've been told," Snape said, dryly not looking up as he made a wicked-looking stroke with a red ballpoint pen, smirking sinisterly at the paper.

"Sir, how badly are you grading them?" Hermione asked

"Just enough to show them my expectations," Snape said, slashing a mark across the paper, mercilessly.

"Sir, you're going to have to grade on a curve here," Hermione told him. "But I'll let you have this assignment," Hermione said.

"Why thank you for being so gracious," Snape growled, but he didn't argue. She knew more about muggle schools than he and he knew that.

"Sir, am I actually taking your class?" Hermione asked.

"I expect you to turn in the assignments, but you will also be my assistant," Snape said, swiftly.

"Yes sir," Hermione nodded. "What's the essay question?"

"Who are you and what defines you," Snape said.

"Trying to get to know your students sir?" Hermione asked.

"I don't have your powers, this helps me see which ones are beyond hope without souls that lie in their eyes," Snape said, doing a very impressive impersonation of Professor Trelawny and smirking at her knowingly. Hermione sent him a glare. She really hated that teacher and thinking about her mixed with the way Snape was acting was getting on her nerves.

"I really dislike you sometimes, sir," Hermione told him, studiously.

"Usually people use stronger words… hate being a favorite," Snape said. "Though loathe has always been a close second."

"I will never and have never hated you sir. You may scoff at me, glare at me, or hate **me** for saying this, but I think you're an honorable man who does what he believes is right, and despite what others might say about you, I think you're one of the bravest men I've ever met," Hermione said.

Snape stared at her, in shock, before frowning and looking down at the paper he was grading. "You don't know me, Miss Granger," he said, softly, not looking up at her. "When you come to see who I truly am, you shall be disappointed."

"No, sir, I will not," Hermione stated, firmly, turning to the computer, and beginning to set up the grade book on the computer.

Hermione sighed, working through the past teacher's files. The person was unorderly and hadn't looked into missing assignments or late assignments at all.

"Sir, you may have to start at the beginning. This person knew nothing of order and I have very few grades in here," Hermione said.

"I had already realized that," Snape said, but his tone wasn't biting; it was soft and there was a hint of tiredness.

Hermione frowned when she saw him grab his stomach, more to the right than center. She walked over to him and pulled out her wand, touching it to his side, closing her eyes. Her wand tip lit up at a whispered word.

Snape said nothing, just watched her still astounded on how she acted so quickly to help him.

"You'll be all right sir?" Hermione asked.

"I've lived through worse," the potions master muttered.

"I don't want to know if you'll live, though that is agood thing. What I want to know is whether or not you're in pain," Hermione corrected.

"I'm fine," Snape said, in a more biting tone, but Hermione didn't even flinch.

"I'm sorry this happened, sir. You should have just let her get to me. This shouldn't have happened to you," Hermione said, shocking him further by wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug that he was too amazed to return before she let go and went back to her desk, taking a necklace she wore off and putting it in the front middle drawer and placing a locking charm on it.

The door opened, just as Hermione settled herself in the desk and students began to fill the room.

Hermione took out some paper to write from some of the last teacher's supplies that he left in his cupboard, but obviously he left them there, he was dead, she remembered.

She felt close to dozing off through Snape's smooth, flowing beginning of course speech. Of course he had one. He was a wizard of words, no pun intended. She did however perk up when she heard the assignment which she already knew, but she now knew that he had put a restriction of exactly four-hundred words on it, not one more or less. Hermione heard two girls in the back row talking about how hot he looked commanding everyone around with such an air of amazing superiority.

On closer inspection, Hermione saw that the girls had almost exactly the samebright color of auras, happy and carefree. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and the aura colors all became more prominent, blocking everything out except colors.

Hermione looked at the unique color that was Snape, unable to register that he was still talking. Her ears had muted everything around her and she began to feel dizzy. She fought it, letting out a little faint noise. She felt someone at her side and in seconds she passed out.

Snape saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. She was drooping slightly, and a small noise fell past her lips and he knew something was wrong. He rushed to her side, snarling at the students to get to work. He got to her elbow and her eyes looked so lost and distant that he feared whatever was happening momentarily.

"Miss Grang-Griffin, Rowena!" he snapped, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Miss Griffin, make your eyes focus!"

He grabbed her quickly when he saw her eyes roll back, knowing she was fainting. He held her quickly, then picked her up, easily into his arm, one arm under her knees, the other under her back.

"Where's the nurse's office?" he demanded.

The students stared at him, dumbfounded. A girl spoke, in a shaky voice, "Across from the office sir."

"I expect to have all of your assignments on my desk by the end of the period whether I am here or not. There will be dire consequences if this is not carried out," Snape growled, stalking around the desks and out the door.

He walked to the classroom next to his and called the computer teacher to the door. She came, frowning with worry. "My assistant fainted, watch my students," he snapped at her.

Being the soft-spoken woman she was she replied with a worried, "Of course," instead of an indignant reply at the rudeness of his tone and lack of word please.

Snape rushed her to the nurse's office and pushed open the door. The nurse was sitting at her desk, filling out a form. He laid Hermione on the plain, hard bed and looked at the mirse expectantly.

"What happened?" the woman questioned.

"She passed out in my class," Snape stated, coolly.

"What did you do to her?" the woman said, beginning her checkup. "It looks like she fainted just for the sake of fainting. She seems fed well enough," the woman turned her beady eyes on Snape, who scowled at her.

"I did nothing to her," Snape said. "She was looking around like she had gotten lost suddenly then she made a sound and stayed steady for a few moments before dropping dead-asleep," Snape said.

"We'll have to call her guardians," the woman told him.

"Her guardians are still in Britain. She came with me across to be my assistant," Snape said.

"So she's under your care?" the woman frowned.

"Yes," Snape replied.

"Then you're her guardian," the woman snapped, impatiently. "You have to take her to her home immediately."

"I cannot do that… she will be fine," Snape said, slipping his hand into his pocket and tipping his wand towards her muttering, "Enervate." She awoke with a gasp.

"Where am I?" she looked around confused.

"Dear, you must calm down. You're going to be sent home to rest," the nurse said. "Your guardian was just telling me how he was going to make sure you got there."

"I'm not her bloody guardian!" Snape snapped, annoyed.

"I-I'm fine," Hermione broke in. "I'd just like to go to class, if that's not a problem."

"Dear you must rest," the woman told her.

"No, no, I'm fine. It was just a dizzy spell. I'm over it now," Hermione said, with certainty.

"Well… all right, but don't strain yourself, you understand me?" the batty old nurse told her.

"Yes ma'am," Hermione nodded, standing with Snape at her elbow helping her.

He led her quickly into the hall, as if to prove to the nurse that she was fine, but he slowed and stopped turning to face her as they turned the corner.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Aura attack, you could say," Hermione said, dryly. "Everyone's aura has a misty look usually, but every student in that room's aura became a full block of color and it swirled around me sort of and I just, passed out," Hermione explained.

"Your power's getting too powerful for you. You have to read more each day and an overload of visions wont come upon you. I think it's the way the powers that be are using to get you to read people more carefully," Snape said.

"But…" Hermione trailed off. "I get headaches just using simple mind spells like Occlumency, well maybe not simple, but reading auras is going to be too much," Hermione said, faintly.

"Miss Granger, are you a witch or not?" Snape growled. "You have the power in you for more than you can imagine. Very few wizards have the power I have been heard you to show in Transfiguration and Charms. Now, use that big head of yours, youinsufferablebrat. We're here for a reason. Albus knows things that at times I believe even the powers cannot understand. He chose our destination carefully, I know. Trust me, you can handle this… you **will** handle this," Snape tole her, strictly. Hermione ducked her head slightly, nodding.

"Very good, now let's return to the class. You must finish your essay… on my desk by the end of class," Snape smirked. Hermione paled. She wouldn't have time for revisions or a final copy.

"But I can't-" Hermione squeaked.

"The end of next class then," Snape sighed, dramatically, earning him a giggle.

"Now come, back to class," Snape indicated down the hall and they began to walk.

Aygul: sorry, voting closed, but I think everyone will be happy with the wonderful outcome. Mwahahahaha! Also, hell ya there'll be more Cordy

Celi: so loyal to Severus. I love it!

Village Mistic: I'm glad youlike Giles and I get a lot of controversial comments on how I portray Hermione. I'm glad yours is a good comment

Shelby: No need to appologize. Plenty of people think Hermione's OOC, but I really am glad that you understand better.

Tigerfanfry: I know I know, Buffy should be, but she doesn't trust them. She thinks they're evil and she really doesn't think they're human. Sorry to take so long to update, but ya, you know life happens

Red Jeanie: School Mary-Sue? There are different categories of Mary-Sues? AHHHHH! (Runs for hills in terror)

Damia: Thank you for backing me up in this. I am happy to say that people understand now why Hermione acts as she does. I love Cordy, I'm glad you liked how I wrote her.

Starlightdreamer: Teachers Aid classes can go towards college credits. It's actually a class, though most TA's don't have to do the class homework... all the same. So... ya. That's what that's about. I think you'll be pleased with the pairing. Hint hint right back at ya. smiles, but try to stay through all the other pairing turmoil.

Tina: Yep, and he's all in love with Dru and stuff, but I may twist that part of the episode to suit my own purposes. Maybe... big maybe

Azulkan: Ya, sometimes, but I'm sure Willow or Hermione can give him a kick. Hmm, maybe I'll add that somewhere.

Charmed-Angel: mmmhmmm, of course you love Hermione/Cordy friendship. They are the coolest characters anywhere, except Snape of course and he's a sarcastic bastard. You can't compete with that. You should change your username to Dirty Old Man Lover that would be so awesome! Tell your friends that they're cool!

There you are kids, new chapter, and wonderful replies from your wonderful writer. Now if you like SSHG go read my fics: After the End, Look How the Hourglass Turns and You Can't Petition For a Smart Girl's Heart and if you like SSOC check out Chosen for Darkness This is for Harry Potter fans

For EVERYONE! Go check out stuff by **_Anne 79_**. Sheis my kangaroo friend and she has some kick ass stories, really. They're really good. BTVS/HP straight up HP and some straight BTVS. It's some good writing. Check it out!


	7. Two perspectives

Don't know if I put a disclaimer up so Harry Potter belongs to JKROWLING and Btvs belongs to JOSSWHEDON.

Hermione finished her essay with only seconds before the end of fifth period. She sighed, happily placing the paper on Snape's desk. It had taken Hermione a long time to decide what to write her paper about, but she thought she had chosen well and was satisfied with the end result, though she blushed deeply when placing it on the professor's desk, wondering what he would think of her paper.

She knew that grades didn't matter anymore, that none of this would count for the future, but old habits died hard and Hermione's almost desperate want of his approval was burning deeply inside her as she placed the paper on his desk, her looping, perfect writing catching his eye, but he said nothing, keeping his head down as if he were still correcting the paper in front of him, but he wasn't marking away at it.

Hermione smiled at the professor she had come to respect so much practically itching to grab her paper and grade it, probably to grade it down mercilessly, but she didn't' care. To her, it was humorous the way he acted. He really did enjoy teaching, not as much as a lot of teachers, but she knew that deep down teaching was really one of his passions.

As she sat down at the computer, the bell ringing almost simultaneously causing a flurry of students rushing for the door, Hermione began to wonder why Professor Snape had been given the English classes not a Chemistry Class or the like. She supposed it might have had to do with the dead English Teacher and alive Chemistry teacher, but surely Albus could have pulled some strings. She frowned, wondering what kind of teacher Snape would prove to be in this class.

She looked at him, his hard, cold brown eyes, scanning the paper, his elegant hand marking away at the paper freely. She had always admired his hands. It was just one of her weird little quirks. He moved them so easily and skillfully, applying ingredients. "Idle hands are the devil's workshop," Hermione thought, chuckling to herself at the old saying.

"Something funny Miss Granger?" Snape asked. She nodded, but didn't reply. "And what is that?" he pressed.

"Nothing you would care to hear, sir," Hermione said, smiling.

"I believe that since I asked you-" Snape didn't get a chance to finish.

"Rowena!" a happy voice said. Hermione stood to greet a brunette girl, Cordy, whom Snape had not met.

"Hello, Cordelia. This is Mr. Smith. He is the new English teacher, and this is Cordelia Chase," Hermione said.

Cordy turned her sparkling smile on Snape, and her smile widened. "Hermione said you were handsome, but she did not do you justice," Cordy said. Hermione turned bright red.

"I highly doubt Miss Granger or anyone would say that about me," Snape snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Cordy asked in shock. "Hermione are you telling me he doesn't know how sexy he looks right now?"

"W-well, sir, now that you're not drowning in your black robes you do look…" Hermione trailed off, her cheeks burning redder than they ever had before. Snape was staring at her shocked.

"There, I said it, it's out there, now I'm going to go to my desk to wallow in my complete and utter embarrassment," Hermione said, her voice slightly high-pitched. She went to her desk, followed by Cordy, who was grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Come on, the only thing that takes away from that man's appearance is his nose. You're too shy for your own good!" Cordy exclaimed.

"Are any of the slayer's friends in this class?" Hermione changed the subject, sharply.

"All of the 'slayerettes' are in this class," Cordy said. "There's Willow, Buffy, my own Xander, and well that's all but that's them!" Cordy said.

"Great, just who I wanted to see," Hermione muttered.

"I wonder why it is that Buffy dislikes you so much. She fights all the time, but she usually doesn't form grudges against those she argues with, not that she usually leave the people she fights with alive," Cordy said. "Also, I'd like to add, she's never that horrible to humans, not even Ethan Rayne!" (Thank you Tigerfanfry, Cordy is voicing your opinion here)

"Maybe she doesn't want to admit that she stabbed a human," Hermione shrugged. "She is concerned about something that I'm no allowed to discuss either."

"Maybe, oh well, she'll get over herself… probably," Cordy said.

"Thanks a lot," Hermione said, sarcastically.

"Of course. That's what I'm here for, to show the bright side of things. Just then three laughing people came in: Buffy, Willow and the brunette boy she had seen earlier… who could only be Xander.

Xander greeted Cordy with a sweet kiss, and sat beside her. Willow and Buffy sat in front of them, Buffy acknowledging Hermione with a sneer.

"Miss Chase, I do not want to see that again," Snape scolded. Cordy just smiled back. His ever-present scowl turned into a sneer and she blew him a kiss, startling the group.

"Cordy! What the hell was that?" Xander said.

"Just trying to see if I can get a rise out of Hermione. She might want to defend her man," Cordy said.

"He's not… oh for goodness sakes!" Hermione buried her face in her arms, laying them on the desk

"He's…. quite… don't you think?" Willow asked, faintly, looking at Cordy and Hermione. Hermione looked up sharply. Cordy nodded.

Hermione felt a flash of something that felt dangerously like jealousy. She cooled it quickly, by turning her eyes to her desk and gripping her pen hard between her fingers.

"So, Rowena, right?" Xander asked, his eyes on Cordy.

"Um, yes, it- ya," Hermione stammered.

"Xander, Willow, Cordy, and Buffy right?" Hermione asked, nodding to each of them.

"Good and the other girl with us this morning was the other slayer Faith!" Xander said, loudly.

"God, Xander announce it to the whole world why don't you?" Cordy said, in an annoyed tone.

"Anything for you," Xander said, with a lopsided grin. Cordy just rolled her eyes at him.

Hermione looked directly to Snape when the bell rang and he stood from his desk, looking around at the students menacingly, his scowl resting on Buffy a bit longer than anyone else, but not noticeably so. Hermione braced herself to hear his biting, cold speech, but he didn't use the same speech as in the last two classes. This one was obviously new. She stood, however as he began it and went to the front of the class to get the list for role-call.

Snape heard Hermione's girlish giggle and frowned at her. She was lost in her own thoughts, what startled him however was that her eyes were on him, not his face, but, oddly, his hand.

He was used to young girls laughing at his face, but what was so interesting about his hand?

"Something funny, Miss Granger?" he asked, smoothly, covering his confusion with practiced ease. She looked up at him quickly. He got annoyed when she nodded and said nothing.

"And what is that?" he continued, not known for his patience.

She replied with a smile, saying, "Nothing you would care to hear, sir."

Snape scoffed at the idiocy of the statement. He had asked her, hadn't he? "I believe that since I asked you-" Snape was cut off in mid-sentence by a loud young woman hurrying in. She was thin and had make-up covering her face. She wore tight-fitting clothes and had dark hair and eyes. She greeted Hermione warmly, using Hermione's adopted name, "Rowena!"

He scowled at Hermione's reaction. She had seemed slightly depressed the morning before then again throughout the afternoon, excluding her fainting spell, but she had a genuinely happy smile on her face, one he hadn't seen since he had last seen her with Harry and Ron, the three of them together again.

"Hello, Cordelia. This is Mr. Smith. He is the new English teacher, and this is Cordelia Chase," Hermione introduced them. Snape just inclined his head, stiffly, partially angry that Cordy was the one to make Hermione smile not him. He inwardly cringed at that thought. What was coming over him? Was he ill? Certainly he was suffering something for such a thought to come to him especially about Hermione Granger, the bane of the past six years and a half of his life! She was only unbearable for the past six, because she was partially bearable the first half of her first year, before Harry and Ron… actually, make that seven years.

Cordy's bright young vibrant smile fell on Snape and he felt like moving away from her, almost as if on impulse. She was so much the opposite of him, obviously in personality. He already knew that she was frivolous and young from just her appearance, but also now that she was carefree to a point and happier than he had ever felt.

"Hermione said you were handsome, but she did not do you justice," Cordy's light voice said and Snape thought he would have a heart attack right there. He managed to mask most of that initial reaction with much difficulty.

" I highly doubt Miss Granger or anyone would say that about me," he bit out thinking it a cruel joke.

"What are you talking about?" Cordy stunned at his words, though he had no idea why.. "Hermione are you telling me he doesn't know how sexy he looks right now?"

Snape was about to reprimand Cordy for her insolence but his eyes turned to Hermione instead, who seemed to be trying to form the correct words.

"W-well, sir, now that you're not drowning in your black robes you do look…" Hermione said in a faint, almost scared voice. Snape's eyes almost bugged out of his head. There was no way. She must be joking. No one had ever… It was impossible. He was at a loss for words. She had admitted to thinking him handsome. He wasn't handsome and he never had been. Did muggle clothes really change how he looked that much?

"There, I said it, it's out there, now I'm going to go to my desk to wallow in my complete and utter embarrassment," he barely registered Hermione's mortified voice that had taken on a higher note than usual. She looked completely and utterly mortified at admitting it. Had she been dared to say that? Was she under a spell?

He looked back down at his paper, but couldn't focus. He looked up again at Hermione whose face was beet red, just in time to hear Cordy say, "You're too shy for your own good!" to Hermione.

He ducked his head back down on his paper and forced himself to look at it, though the horrible pull to take her paper and read it was almost overwhelming.

He finished the paper he was grading, finally and snatched hers, glancing to make sure she wasn't watching.

"Magic," was written at the top of the paper in a graceful scrawl. He began to read it, his heart tightening at her words. What defined her was her need to be better to feel accepted a need that Snape himself was subject to every single second of every day.

"The needs we have and the wants are separated only in the world around us, but in our minds the words melt together and consume us," he read to himself, looking up at her again. Buffy, a red-head, and a brunette boy where all going to sit by her and her new friend Cordy.

She saw the boy offer Cordy a soft kiss and looked at Hermione, who looked slightly jealous, of her friend's boyfriend or of what they had, Snape didn't know.

He had to stop himself once when he had almost said he was detracting points, but he stopped and said instead, "Miss Chase, I do not want to see that again," he snapped, in a chiding tone. The vexing young woman had the nerve to smile at him. He sneered at her in return, then she kissed her hand and blew him the kiss. His eyes nearly bugged out.

"Cordy! What the hell was that?" the brunette said, loudly. Snape had to agree with that question, but not the answer given.

"Just trying to see if I can get a rise out of Hermione. She might want to defend her man," that Cordy girl had the audacity to say.

Snape was way past shocked until Hermione groaned, blushing scarlet again saying, "He's not! Oh for goodness sakes!" Hermione sighed in defeat, placing her arms on the desk and burying her face in them.

Snape shook those thoughts off with difficulty and turned his eyes back to her paper. He continued reading, stopping again when another thing in her paper caught his attention. "There are many people who just thought I was a wonderfully brilliant student just because I acted the part, but I suppose I'll never know how intelligent I truly am where it counts. Only one person has ever judged me harshly and I respect him more than any teacher I've ever had because he sought out my faults and by pointing them out to me every class told me where to fix them. I'll never be perfect to him, but I think that being a know-it-all who annoys him to no end is close enough."

Snape gaped at the paper, but just as he finished reading, the bell rang. He stood quickly, ready to start this class with something completely new to him, filling him and making him stronger, a feeling that at least someone appreciated him to some extent. That was enough for him.

I'm not answering but one review this chapter, but thank you to all who did review. I'll get another update up as soon as I finish writing it.

Someone asked what OC means and as far as my usage and the usage I see frequently of it, it means Original Character. Therefore my story Chosen for Darkness is Severus Snape/Original Character


	8. It's always the man's fault

Snape looked over his students, in silence, making sure to look each and every one in the eye.

Hermione walked to his desk and took out the roster looking over all the students, and checking to see that all the students were there, by the seating chart. She could tell if they were in the right seat, because she cast a spell giving her knowledge of all their names. She checked off each student down the list, in a swift orderly fashion.

Snape's eyes lingered on the red-haired girl beside the slayer, Buffy. He smirked. She looked very much like Hermione did in her first year, so eager to learn and be taught, so full of life and happy.

He glanced at his assistant, and frowned. She was no longer that naïve happy over-excited know-it-all she had been. She was very much older and it shown in her eyes. Ever since her fifth year in the Department of Mysteries, she had been more mature. She had seen death there, he was sure, because not only had she seen Sirius fall into the veil, there were three other casualties in that battle. She was still full of a love for knowledge, but she had in the past years, conserved it to quiet ambition and broke down her know-it-all answers to the bare minimum answer to a question instead of a paragraph of the text book.

His amusement with the red-head turned into something akin to anger. She was young and would be shown too much for someone her age, something Hermione had faced as well, something he didn't want her to have to come up with.

"Welcome to a real English class, something I'm sure very few of you have come across. Let's get this straight before I give you your very much-needed assignment. You will not like me, I promise you that, and as far as I know, I will dislike every single one of you. You will not sit around in my class; you will not be lazy and go over verbs and nouns. If you do not understand the English language by now, then you have no hope of any sort of future. None of you, not one, have so far this year, displayed any skill. Your last teacher was an imbecile. So, let's start over shall we?" Snape said. "Your only beacon of light in this class will be my assistant Miss Granger. She will assist you more than me. If you have a question, ask her, not me or I shall become very angry. I'm a very busy man and I do not want to be disturbed. Miss Granger, anything to say?"

"Just that I've been taught by you sir and you really are horrible to your students, and can be the meanest bastard I've ever met inside the classroom," Hermione said, brightly, not looking at him. Her eyes stayed on the ground and she shuffled back to her desk with the attendance record to put into the computer. She wanted to see if she'd get away with it.

"Words of wisdom, Miss Granger," Snape said. Hermione looked at him, smiling. He hadn't snapped at her. "You shall attend detention with me after school," he said. Hermione shrugged, she planned on spending almost every minute of the day with him anyway. It wasn't as if she was going to leave to go god knows where.

"Now," Snape said, a sneer on his face. "Your assignment… as much as I detest hearing about the lives of insolent teenagers… is to write about whom you are and what defines you. If any of you talk about your significant others or your cute little puppies, I swear you will get a zero on you paper and then it will be burned," Snape warned. Willows hand shot up, and Snape couldn't help the scowl that passed his lips. "I suppose she seemed like Hermione was an understatement. She's a bloody clone," Snape thought.

"What is it?" he snapped at her.

"Sorry, sir, I was just wondering if you have any other guidelines," the red-head said.

"Well, if I got time to finish what I was saying, maybe I would tell you," he growled at the pointless question. "Four-hundred words, precisely and yes I will count to the very last number. If you have a different number it will be going to the trash. "Now, are there any questions?" Snape snapped, glaring pointedly at the red-head. He would treat her exactly as he had Hermione, when she acted the same.

"Very well, you may begin," Snape waved his hand at them offhandedly, going back to his desk to finish Hermione's paper. He nodded at her last sentence, "I know who I am, now it's my time to show that to the world." Normally he would have marked her down for such a cliché ending and he had no doubt she knew it was coming, being his student so long, but he didn't in this case.

He turned back to the first page of it and realized that he hadn't marked her down on anything. He scowled, writing, "I may not have found something this time, Miss Granger, but no doubt when it's on a subject not about your outlook on yourself, I will find something. Also, you stopped being a know-it-all to me after Black died." He frowned at the last sentence and got rid of it with a swish of his wand. "You finally ceased your know-it-all…" no… "You are no longer a know-it-all, though you are still excessively annoying, especially your lack of tea-brewing skills."

He smirked at the red ink, "That will work."

He suddenly felt a flow of magic from the back of the room. His eyes darted up to Hermione, but the girl was busy typing on the computer that only he and she could see. His eyes scanned the students, and rested on the red-haired girl.

He waved his wand at her, discreetly and her pen fell to the desk. She had dared perform magic in his class in full view of muggles. He stood and stalked up to the very surprised and very scared young girl.

"Miss Granger will escort you to the library to finish your essay. You know full well what you did wrong. Get up now," he spat at her.

"Sir-I-I," Willow stuttered, blushing bright red in embarrassment.

"You know what you did and you shall be punished accordingly at another time, but I still expect an essay on my desk before you leave the school. Miss Granger, see to it that this… this child finishes her essay," Snape snapped, walking to her. She stood, obediently. He muttered to her, "She's using wandless magic, which is very dangerous. If she tries anything again bind her until I arrive," Snape told her.

"Sir, isn't that a bit harsh?" Hermione asked.

"I fail to see what is wrong with my idea, Miss Granger. Go," Snape growled. Hermione's eyes narrowed at him.

"I'm getting way more annoyed with you ordering me around like a bloody first year than you'll ever know, sir. I will comply, but I'm warning you to stop. I am very well-known throughout Hogwarts for creating a few new creative hexes in my time there," Hermione warned, quietly, before walking to Willow and leading her out briskly by the arm.

Hermione brought her energy up for a good scolding. "Do you have any idea, Willow, how dangerous wandless magic is? It may be the only witchcraft you can conquer but it is the darkest if not properly contained. You can never use it outside the privacy of a locked room with an already skill witch or wizard. Professor Snape will no doubt be very angry the next time you see him. My advice to you is: try not to stutter too much. Oh how he does like a stuttering, self-conscious person to cut at. The only way you'll be able to survive with him is grow a backbone and talk back!" Hermione said. "I'm not even sure that he himself realizes how much he enjoys it. You're exactly like I was when I met him. Do not let him walk all over you!"

With a very stunned Willow in tow, Hermione hurried to the library. She walked past a sign saying that they were doing something with the shelving and that the library was closed.

Hermione opened the doors, stepping in. Giles was sparring with Faith and getting knocked down every ten seconds.

"Having trouble there old man?" Hermione asked.

"Do you think you can do better?" he said, tiredly, fixing his glasses on his nose.

"Of course I can. I'm a witch," Hermione said.

"Without spells?" he added.

"Of course I can. I'm a witch," Hermione repeated.

"Then show us then," Giles said. Hermione nodded, walking behind the counter and pulling something out of her pocket, a small rectangular box. She used her wand to enlarge it. When she noticed Willow watching her, intently, she gave her a pointed glare that caused the girl to run to the tables and continue to write her essay.

She opened the simple muggle tool chest. In it was an array of potions, modeled after Snape's trunk of potions, though there weren't as many. She pulled out a pink potion and downed it.

"What is that?" Giles asked. "If it's to learn the moves, then I'm afraid that's a waste." He came up to her desk.

"I took two years of judo, and three of longsword before I knew I was a witch," Hermione said. "All I need is a strengthening potion," Hermione said. "It's really all in the arithmancy judging amounts of which to take. I like to take an academic approach to everything, even fighting."

"You are more of a geek than Willow. Are we gonna fight or what?" Faith asked, smirking.

"I really detest violence, but with slayer strength, I should be fine right?" she looked at Giles.

"With Buffy maybe, but watch out for Faith; she fights dirty," Giles said, limping behind the counter.

"Goodness are you injured?" she asked, worriedly, going to his side, and helping him to the stool behind the counter.

"It's nothing a bit of rest shouldn't heal," Giles said, sighing as he found himself safely in the chair.

Hermione hurried to her potions kit and brought it closer, pulling out a potion and handing it to him. "Drink this slowly," she instructed.

"My god, are you going to fight or what?" Faith asked, annoyed. "Putting it off is not going to save your skinny ass," Faith said, jokingly. "I'll beat you down with one hand behind my back."

Hermione rolled her eyes, muttering something like, "Bloody pretentious Americans," she muttered and Giles was sure vulgar was in there as well. He chuckled.

"You get used to it," he told her, quietly. "Be careful," he warned.

"I'll be fine," she stated.

She looked up as the bell rang and Willow rose. "He'll come here, just relax," Hermione said, warningly.

"Why are you here anyways?" Giles asked.

"Severus found Willow doing wandless magic in full view of the rest of the class," Hermione said. Giles looked surprised then it turned into a very stern look and he went over to lecture Willow, as Hermione took the bow-staff he had left on the ground.

Hermione shakily held it up, and Faith knocked her down, before she was centered. "Damn it you bloody American, I wasn't ready," she shouted at Faith, jumping to her feet and going at the slayer, the power rush from the potion and her adrenaline running high. She fought Faith back a few steps and Faith got her back. She knocked Faith's staff aside and slammed her staff into the back of Faith's knees causing her to fall.

"You're not bad," Faith complimented, jumping up and continuing their fight.

"Miss Granger what are you doing?" Snape's cool voice growled.

Hermione, caught off-guard as she looked over at Snape, found her feet out from under her and herself on her back on the ground.

Faith started laughing then she grinned cockily at Hermione. "Told you I'm the best," Faith said. Giles hurried to Hermione's side, but she pushed him back, and kicked Faith's feet out from under her, smirking at her. Faith started laughing loudly and was joined by Hermione.

"Are you insane? Fighting a bloody slayer?" Snape asked.

"Sorry sir, but she was being a typical cocky American and it was getting on my nerves," Hermione mumbled.

"Miss Granger, there's more to what's going on in the world then petty sparring? You could be doing research that would benefit the order, where your mind could be put to use, instead you're fighting with someone that has five times the strength as you," Snape snapped.

"Not true. With the potion, Faith is only about fifty-percent stronger, but Faith hasn't been completely trained in the methods of the bow-staff so they are pretty evenly matched," Giles said, methodically, helping Hermione to her feet.

"Will wonders never cease? You wasted potions ingredients on a strength-increasing potion? Miss Granger have you completely lost your mind?" Snape hissed.

"You need to stop being condescending to me!" she shouted. "I will do what I will with my own money and potions supplies. I saw it as a useful use of potions ingredients. If something happens and I can't use my gloves for a time, and therefore am unable to use my wand, do you expect me to just walk around on the hellmouth with no form of protection?" Hermione snapped.

"If you didn't have your wand, you'd never leave my sight. I take my responsibilities very seriously and if protecting a third of the Golden Trio is to be my responsibility then I will come through," Snape said.

"I'm not a BLOODY RESPONSIBILITY! I am a living breathing human being!" she shouted at him. "I am more than you could ever be because you can't see that people aren't a chessboard. You can't move them at will. Life doesn't always work that way! So you can just go to hell for all I care. All my respect for you and everything you've done for the order has just flown out the window. You are a bloody pric and I am not a thing! I am a person!" Hermione shouted, storming out the door, leaving behind a very stunned group of people. She got ten feet before tears began streaming down her cheeks. She ran into Cordy, who tried to stop her but failed and settled for just walking along with her to wherever she was going. Xander and Buffy went to the library quickly to figure out what had happened.

"Giles? What was that? Why is Rowena so upset? She was crying!" Xander said.

"Oh the bloody brilliant British man decided to piss her off and she exploded at him," Faith said, offhandedly, putting the two bow-staffs in the cabinet and closing it.

"You and the lovely Miss Griffith have a spar?" Buffy said, in a taunting voice.

"You will bite your tongue," Snape said, "unless you'd like me to explain to everyone why you hate Hermione so much."

"Hermione?" Xander frowned. "I thought her name was Rowena."

"You wouldn't dare," Buffy glared.

"It's no problem of mine whom it is you associate with. I couldn't care less as a matter of fact," Snape growled.

Buffy muttered something but said no more.

"What exactly happened? Cordy went with her to wherever it was she was headed, and Cordy is going to be angry as hell when she finds out it was your fault. She thinks she and Rowena are close already. You should see what she's like when you mess with one of her friends," Xander said, shivering.

Snape frowned, "I think I can handle myself against a muggle."

"Muggle or no, an upset teenaged girl is a very scary matter," Giles mumbled.

"Trust me, dude, you'd best leave her to Queen C," Faith warned. "You do not want to piss that girl off any more than you just did."

"It's your fault," Snape said, in weak defense.

"No, I'm afraid, Severus, that in America… it's always the man's fault," Giles sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

All right guys, so… I need a specified partner vote. It's already going to be Willow-Snape-Hermione. What do you think… Snape-Hermione-Angel or Snape-Hermione-Giles? Answer and I'll update sooner!

Vld: I don't want to argue my point, because I have a weak point to argue. I saw how she acted towards Angel on his spin-off, that coupled with the many A/C fanfictions I've read where Buffy isn't a very nice character have just ruined how I thought of her. I initially had thought up a plat where she was all friendly, but then all the action just went flat and the arguments were few and far between and as a writer I like the excitement of characters disliking each other. It really is nothing against first three seasons Buffy, but I can't help it. I'm not arguing, because I know I'm wrong in my portrayal and I apologize profusely.

SarahTee: thank you for catching that. I went back and fixed it. All the scoobies except Giles are supposed to be calling her by her adopted name and throughout the story, they'll get confused when the British people in the story call her Hermione, but that'll just be a bit of repetition. Cordy will be calling her "Rowa," a lot as well, a nickname of sorts.

Celi: I'm sorry, I should have. I didn't mean to confuse you. Sorrysorry, but the computer takes those out when I upload it and I always forget to look back and change things.

Tigerfanfry: The name itself you know Rowena Ravenclaw and Gryffendor-Gryffith, but the slayerettes except Giles call her Rowena (Which I admit my mistakes with Cordy calling her Hermione. They have been changed).

Damia: This was quick aren't you proud of me?


	9. No wonder she stabbed him

Willow flinched as Snape's face became composed and his eyes turned to her. He scowled at her. "Idiocy, you foolish child will get you no where in any magical community. Control is the key. Miss Granger is controlled and she's an insufferable know-it-all Gryffindor. What is your excuse pray tell?" Snape said, darkly.

"I-I uh, I…" Willow stammered.

"Magic is an art. Magic is not something to just do. You have to perfect and strengthen it before it is shown, and when that time comes, it is not shown in full view of muggles," Snape growled.

"Muggles?" Buffy spat, scoffing at the word. "I thought you were the English teacher. That's not even a word."

"It is an English word, actually," Snape growled, his voice dangerously low. "It is a word for non-magical people."

"Like me?" Buffy challenged.

"Our word for you is myth, not that that means anything at the moment," Snape growled. "This isn't about you in any case. I doubt that you in any way could perform a type of wandless magic without assistance. Also, I would like to point out that I am **not** an English teacher. I am merely playing the part. I teach the delicate and subtle art of potions, which someone with your approach of stab first and talk later would never understand," he said, scathingly.

"Hey, Buffy's the controlled, patient type usually!" Xander said.

"Depends on your definition of the word," a deep, smooth voice said from the doorway.

"Oz!" Willow squeaked. "This is Mr. Smith, the new English teacher."

Oz had an odd sort of calm look on his face as he said, "We've met." He walked to her and sat beside her, wrapping an arm about her shoulders, causing Snape's scowl to deepen. (Calm down Willow/Snape fans. Remember Lover's Walk is coming soon. Breathe now Breathe. He-hoo, he-hoo, he-hoo)

"Mr. Ozborne, I was not looking for your input in the matter," he said, glaring.

"Just wanting to go the extra mile," Oz replied, smoothly.

"Mr. Giles, I'm sure you will consent to deal with Miss Rosenburg's punishment. If you'll excuse me, I have to see my assistant," Snape said, briskly, walking out.

"No wonder you stabbed him," he heard the brunette slayer muttered to the blonde.

"I warned you, you know. She's armed with magic and she's not in a very good mood with you!" Faith called after him, but he paid no mind.

This is really really short, but I wanted to get something up so you didn't hate me. It's like super short. It's so short that I'm astonished, but I have been swamped with four accelerated classes, honor guard, color guard, softball, basketball, deciding on what to resister for as a sophomore, and well, everything else the world throws at me or wherever my dad tries to throw me (the stairs being a prime example). I should update by Sunday, but I have the annual JROTC dining in and I'll be there for nine hours tomorrow and Saturday will be me trying to sleep and Sunday I have another practice for honor guard. I'll try. Ya, I think my note was longer than my chapter. Sorry, but you know… High School and such… I would really appreciate you being patient with me. I'm sure you all have busy lives, if not as busy as mines


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